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Maurice Kelso Smith, a 32-year-old man from Tarrant County, Texas was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on Monday, March 4, 2024. In June 2020, Smith was arrested and accused of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend Darionne Burley. The shooting took place only a month after Smith had arranged a gender reveal for Darionne, who was pregnant with twin boys.
According to People Magazine, Burley and her unborn twins were killed on the scene after being shot. Prosecutors claimed that after the shooting, Smith robbed and carjacked another woman at gunpoint. During the trial for the murder, Smith was also accused of assaulting Burley at the beginning of June.
After the verdict for Smith was read out on Monday, Burley's family gave their victim impact statements.
Maurice Kelso Smith sentenced to life in prison for 202 murder of pregnant girlfriend
The Darrione Burley murder trial concluded on Monday and Maurice Kelso Smith, the former's boyfriend was found guilty. CBS News reported that Smith has received an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The case can be traced back to 2020, when Darrione was killed, while she was pregnant with twin boys. She was shot by her boyfriend with an illegally purchased gun on June 29, 2020. Maurice Kelso Smith fled the area of the shooting before stealing another woman's car while holding her at gunpoint. He then switched cars and left his dead girlfriend in his car.
According to prosecutors, Maurice Kelso Smith then headed to his house in the stolen car. When cops located Smith, he was cleaning the stolen car and trying to get rid of any shred of evidence that could link him to the crime.
Smith was abusing drugs and also assaulted the victim in June before the shooting
During the investigation, law enforcement officials recovered the gun used in the shooting as well as Smith's clothes which were soaked in blood. They also found a shell casing in the car where Smith left Burley, and it matched with the gun obtained from him.
According to prosecutors, after the arrest took place, Maurice Kelso Smith faked "intoxication and memory lapse". He also attempted to escape by picking the lock that was used to chain him to the hospital bed. Prosecutors claimed that Smith was abusing substances during the period around the shooting.
During the murder trial, Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Kate Hinojosa said that Darionne's family had been concerned about her safety in June 2020, according to CBS News.
"In June 2020, Darionne’s friends and family were concerned for her safety. And it turns out their concerns were valid because at the end of the month, she would be dead at the hands of this Defendant," the ADA said.
The family of the victim was present in the court on Monday to give their victim impact statements where they explained how different their life would have been had the shooting not occured.
