A Virginia man has been sentenced to 43 years in prison for killing the mother of his two children over the prospect of paying child support.
Brandon W. Thomas, 28, stood before Judge Harold W. Burgess on Wednesday for sentencing on first-degree murder and felony firearm convictions. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Thomas represented to the court that the investigation and prosecution’s case were “biased, unprofessional, and negligent” and asked that the judge grant him a new trial.
Why did Thomas receive 43 years in this child support murder case?
Recanted Alibi
Thomas’ case is a strange one for a couple of reasons. Not least of which is the fact that Thomas confessed to a friend, Don Van Story, that he killed Bobbie Jo Bell, 27, because “money was tight and he couldn’t afford to support any more children,” reports the Times-Dispatch. The prosecution presented evidence that Thomas was already paying child support for another child of his, and that Bell had filed a child support petition three months before her murder.
Van Story had initially provided Thomas with an alibi, …read more
Source:: Law Blog