A Texan man is heading to prison for a long time due to his involvement in the tragic death of his ex-wife. Jurors decided this outcome during the past week.
A 44-year-old man named Allen Dale Edwards was found guilty and sentenced to 46 years behind bars. The verdict came from a jury on Tuesday, October 31, according to court records from Harris County.
Harris District Attorney Kim Ogg shared her thoughts, stating, "Domestic violence can take many forms, and sadly, it sometimes leads to murder. There's no justification for the loss of this man's ex-wife and the mother of his children."
Edwards and his ex-wife shared two children but had been divorced for over three years, living separately. They had a troubled relationship, with frequent disputes about child custody.
Their bitter history took a fatal turn on March 19, 2016. On that night, Edwards shot and killed Keyanna Cherrell Gardiner, 29, following a car chase that caught her off guard, as evidenced during the trial.
A few minutes earlier, Gardiner was peacefully asleep in a friend's car. Around 3 a.m., her friend drove to Edwards' home in Baytown, a city located on the northern edge of the Galveston Bay in Harris and Chambers counties. There, Gardiner's friend allegedly threw something at the house, shattering a window.
Hearing the broken window, Edwards instructed his mother to call the police and then armed himself with a handgun, pursuing the two women in their white SUV as they sped away.
The first gunshot shattered the driver's side window while both vehicles were heading to the Fred Hartman Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in Texas, separating southern Baytown from northern La Porte. Edwards then intentionally blocked the women, causing their SUV to crash into his car.
He got out of his car and fired once more, fatally injuring Gardiner. He also assaulted his ex-wife's friend severely, requiring reconstructive surgery.
Assistant District Attorney Ashlea Sheridan remarked, "He decided to take the law into his own hands. He admitted to chasing them down when he should have let law enforcement handle it."
Edwards was swiftly arrested by a nearby law enforcement officer. In the event of a guilty verdict, he chose to let the jury determine his sentence after a seven-day trial, which they did.
Under Texas law concerning aggravated felony firearm offenses, Edwards becomes eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.
Comments
Post a Comment