An Illinois father will spend his life in prison for the gruesome shooting of an Indiana mother and their daughter.
Judge Sean Persin on Friday sentenced 28-year-old Devonta Roberts to 120 years in prison. Roberts pleaded guilty in May to two counts of murder: one for the death of his 22-year-old girlfriend, Victoria Moore, and another for the killing of their 3-year-old daughter, Datoria Roberts.
On July 5, 2021, Roberts opened fire on Moore while she held their toddler in her arms inside a Romney Meadows apartment. He shot the pair 22 times with a pistol and extended magazine he was known to openly carry around the complex.
Police were called to the scene after Moore’s non-verbal 5-year-old son asked neighbors for help. Persin called the body-cam footage from the scene the worst video he’s watched.
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As the 3-year-old girl fought for her life, she reportedly told a Lafayette police officer, “My daddy killed me.” She was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital where she died from blood loss.
Officers, meanwhile, found her mother dead on the kitchen floor.
Roberts is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and received disability payments due to a learning disability. His defense attorneys noted his IQ is lower than 99% of Americans.
They declined to comment after the hearing, saying only that Roberts planned to appeal his sentence.
When given a chance to speak, Roberts glanced at family members in the courtroom and said, “I wish I could give them back to you.”
He stared blankly as he heard his sentence, while family members of the victims wiped away tears and shook in distress.
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