Man gets life for fatally shooting girlfriend in front of her kids in East Point
May 24, 2023
By Caroline Silva | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | May 24, 2023
Two children sat in a vehicle inches away from their mother as she was fatally shot by her boyfriend in 2018.
That man will now be behind bars for the rest of his life.
Demarko Moss was found guilty Wednesday of murder and aggravated assault in the East Point killing. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 15 years, Fulton County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Pallavi Bailey said.
Moss and Keisha Smith were in the process of breaking up, text messages revealed to investigators. On Sept. 2, 2018, Moss invited Smith to his apartment complex on Newnan Street to give her money, officials said.
But soon after she arrived, Moss shot her eight times as she sat in her car in the parking lot around 10 p.m., Bailey said. Her two young children were in the backseat, and authorities said Smith was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death.
“An infant and a toddler sat in the backseat of a car and watched their mother die,” District Attorney Fani Willis said in a statement. “Domestic violence creates a heinous amount of trauma in our children, making them victims as well.”
Moss’ brother told police that he was inside the apartment when he heard gunshots and watched Moss drive away after firing.
It’s not the first time Moss has gotten into trouble with the law. In 2017, he was sentenced to seven years on probation for charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, court documents show. At the time, he was considered a first-time offender.
Two children sat in a vehicle inches away from their mother as she was fatally shot by her boyfriend in 2018.
That man will now be behind bars for the rest of his life.
Demarko Moss was found guilty Wednesday of murder and aggravated assault in the East Point killing. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 15 years, Fulton County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Pallavi Bailey said.
Moss and Keisha Smith were in the process of breaking up, text messages revealed to investigators. On Sept. 2, 2018, Moss invited Smith to his apartment complex on Newnan Street to give her money, officials said.
But soon after she arrived, Moss shot her eight times as she sat in her car in the parking lot around 10 p.m., Bailey said. Her two young children were in the backseat, and authorities said Smith was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death.
“An infant and a toddler sat in the backseat of a car and watched their mother die,” District Attorney Fani Willis said in a statement. “Domestic violence creates a heinous amount of trauma in our children, making them victims as well.”
Moss’ brother told police that he was inside the apartment when he heard gunshots and watched Moss drive away after firing.
It’s not the first time Moss has gotten into trouble with the law. In 2017, he was sentenced to seven years on probation for charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, court documents show. At the time, he was considered a first-time offender.