A 44-year-old Texas man was sentenced to 46 years in prison by a Harris County jury for the murder of his ex-wife in 2016, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday.
Allen Dale Edwards was sentenced to prison by a jury late Tuesday after a seven-day trial. He was convicted of murder for fatally shooting 29-year-old Keyanna Cherrell Gardiner on March 19, 2016.
Investigators said Edwards and Gardiner, who had two children together, were divorced and had been living apart for more than three years. The two had an “acrimonious” relationship that included disputes over child custody, according to Ogg.
On the night Gardiner was killed, authorities said she was riding in a car with her friend at about 3 a.m. and was asleep in the passenger seat. The woman drove them to Edwards’ home and apparently threw an aerosol can to break a window at the Baytown house.
After hearing the window break, Edwards told his mother to call the police. Instead of waiting for the police, investigators said he grabbed his handgun and got into his vehicle, then chased the two women who were in a white SUV.
Authorities said the two cars were on Highway 146 heading toward the Fred Hartman Bridge when, while driving, Edwards shot at the SUV through the glass of his driver’s side window, leaving a bullet hole in the tinted window. When both cars got to the southbound flyover, authorities said Edwards pulled in front of the white SUV and stopped, causing the SUV to crash into the rear of his car. Edwards got out of his car and fired at least one more time into the SUV. One of the bullets he fired reportedly stuck Gardiner in the chest, killing her. Edwards then walked to the driver’s side and punched the woman driving the car, investigators said. She was transported to the hospital and had to reportedly undergo reconstructive surgery.
“Domestic violence can take a lot of different forms, but too often we see it escalate into murder,” Ogg said. “There is absolutely no reason this man’s ex-wife and the mother of his children should be dead.”
A Harris County Precinct 8 Constable’s Office deputy was nearby and detained Edwards. The Baytown Police Department investigated and filed charges.
Assistant District Attorney Ashlea Sheridan and ADA Adam Brodrick, who are chiefs in the DA’s trial bureau, prosecuted Edwards.
“He took matters into his own hands,” Sheridan said. “He admitted that he was chasing them down, and he should have just let law enforcement handle it.”
Edwards must serve at least half of the prison sentence before being eligible for parole.
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