Miss. man gets 75 years for beating wife with sledgehammer and shooting her

JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (TCD) — A judge has sentenced a 43-year-old man to several decades in prison for beating his wife with a sledgehammer, holding her hostage, and shooting her.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, on Sept. 9, 2021, at approximately 7 a.m., deputies responded to a domestic violence call at a residence on Brookstone Drive. Deputies at the scene exchanged shots with Vinet Moore while simultaneously trying to save Moore’s injured wife and put her into an ambulance. Two children, ages 9 and 15, climbed out of a window to safety.

Medics transported the victim to Ocean Springs Hospital, then transferred her to USA Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama. She survived her injuries.

During the incident, Moore engaged in a standoff with deputies and surrendered after seven hours.

In a statement, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office said the children called 911 because Moore broke into the house and began attacking their mother with a sledgehammer. Deputies evacuated neighboring houses during the incident as well.

Moore reportedly had two handguns on him and held his wife hostage. He shot her in her side when she tried to run away.

He was convicted Oct. 30 of kidnapping, aggravated assault, and burglary of an inhabited dwelling. Jackson County Judge Calvin Taylor “rejected the Defendant’s victim blaming” and sentenced Moore to 75 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, and he must serve 50 of those.

District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said the statement, “Vinet Moore not only terrorized the victim and her daughters, but he also put the lives of neighbors and the responding officers at risk. Mr. Moore has still shown no remorse for his actions. He is the classic narcissistic, victim-blaming, gaslighting abuser who abused the victim for years.”

McIlrath commended the children’s “amazing bravery in getting their mom help and escaping from the home.”

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