A Florida man will be sentenced to a mandatory life in prison on June 23 after he fatally shot his wife during a dispute that her parents witnessed.
Per the Miami Herald, the State Attorney’s Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in a statement on June 4 said that a jury convicted Shantell Adkins, 37, of two counts of aggravated assault in the 2023 shooting death of his wife Shawntai Adkins, 34.
During a deposition, Shawntai’s mother revealed that Adkins fatally shot her daughter the same day the victim got to know her husband was cheating on her. After she found out about her husband’s infidelity via his messages on his Apple Watch, Shawntai notified her mother about it and made her aware of her intention to divorce him.
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Court documents stated that on October 19, 2023, an intoxicated Adkins allegedly rode away with his deceased wife’s motorcycle. That was days after he underwent alcohol abuse treatment at a medical facility.
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Shawntai’s mother said her daughter phoned and asked her and her father to come to their Daytona Beach residence because Adkins had ridden away with her motorcycle and refused to disclose his whereabouts.
The Daytona Beach Police Department in an arrest affidavit stated that Adkins opened fire on his wife as the victim and her parents were leaving the home. Police said that in the aftermath of the incident, Adkins shot himself in the shoulder and was later admitted to the hospital. Shawntai, however, died at the scene, the Miami Herald reported.
The deceased woman’s father also suffered a broken leg as he fled the scene, ClickOrlando reported. He ultimately recovered from his injuries after he was rendered medical care.
“It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “Adkins executed our victim in front of her parents and then threatened to do the same to them. Another domestic murder and another devastated family.”
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