Man sentenced in death of girlfriend shot in the head- Maurice Kelso Smith, a 32-year-old man from Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Darionne Burley, who was carrying twin boys. The tragic incident occurred on June 29, 2020, when Smith and Burley were last seen exiting a Waffle House in the Fort Worth area.
Shortly after, Smith shot Burley in the back of the head. Following the shooting, Smith drove to Mansfield, where he stole a woman’s car at gunpoint and left his own car at the scene of the robbery, where Burley was found in a bloody crime scene.
Ballistic evidence matched the firearm to the shell casing in the car where Burley was found, and investigators discovered Smith had illegally purchased the gun the day before the shooting. Smith was also found trying to clean the stolen car and destroy evidence of the murder at his home, where police found his clothes covered in blood and the murder weapon.
During the trial, the jury heard that Smith had been heavily using drugs at the time of the incident and had assaulted Burley in early June. Despite having a “joyful gender reveal party” for the twins the month before, the family and friends of Burley expressed concern for her safety, which proved to be valid as Smith ended up killing her at the end of the month. The Burley family read victim impact statements in court, emphasizing that there were no winners in this tragic situation. Smith received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the crime.
