A Bronx man, Justin Soriano, 44, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of his eight-month pregnant ex-girlfriend, Shanice Young, in front of her children just hours after her baby shower in September 2021.
The sentencing was handed down by Justice Ann Scherzer at the Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday. Soriano was convicted in November on multiple charges, including murder and child endangerment, according to the New York Post.
Prosecutors detailed how Soriano, dressed in black and wearing latex gloves, arrived on a motorcycle as Young’s family unloaded baby shower gifts.
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He stormed into the building, chased Young’s new boyfriend outside, and as Young stepped out of a car where her two daughters and other children sat, tragedy unfolded.
In a harrowing scene, Young pleaded with her ex, Soriano, asking why he was attacking her—only for him to repeat the question before fatally shooting her three times in the face around 1 a.m., prosecutors said.
The eight-month-pregnant mother was rushed to Harlem Hospital but tragically died along with her unborn child.
“Who the f–k shoots a pregnant woman?” a distraught friend railed to The Post at the time. “You’ve got to be out of your mind.”
Soriano fled the scene after the fatal shooting but was arrested days later in the Bronx.
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described the tragedy as a devastating act of violence that shattered what should have been a joyous and celebratory moment in Young’s life.
“Soriano committed this horrific shooting in front of four children, including Ms. Young’s own daughters, who helplessly watched their mother die right before their eyes.”
“I hope the significant sentence imposed today serves as a measure of justice for this tragic and abhorrent act of violence,” he added.
