A Georgia man will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting and killing his pregnant girlfriend and their daughter, who was born but only lived for four months.
Diamonte Haithcoats, 24, was found guilty on Friday of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault-family violence, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the deaths of Shaniyah Rodriguez, 20, and their baby Milliani Rodriguez, according to a press release from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s office.
Following the verdict, Dekalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith sentenced Haithcoats to two life sentences with no possibility of parole, according to the DA.
Deputies from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting around 5:45 a.m. on February 2, 2023, at a condominium complex on Old Singleton Lane in the Atlanta suburb of Clarkston.
A resident heard gunfire and went outside to investigate. He discovered a woman later identified as Rodriguez suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Paramedics arrived and transported Rodriguez to the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver her baby. Rodriguez died two days later. Milliani died on June 19, 2023.
Investigators discovered seven rifle shell casings on the scene, and a witness reported seeing a dark-colored SUV drive away following the shooting. Street cameras caught a dark blue Hyundai Palisade leaving the complex. Days later, they discovered the abandoned Palisade. It was stolen.
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Prosecutors said Rodriguez’s phone was connected to the vehicle’s Bluetooth just minutes before the 911 call. Detectives turned on her phone, which automatically connected to the Palisade.
Rodriguez later told a friend that her relationship with Haithcoats was deteriorating and she was concerned for his safety. They also sent Haithcoats to the scene via his cellphone.
Adrienne Rodriguez, Shaniyah Rodriguez’s mother and Millani’s grandmother, testified at the trial, according to a courtroom report by Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.
She began to suspect Haithcoats in the days following the murder, so she called him and made a recording that the jurors heard.
“Who did this, Monte?” Adrienne Rodriguez reportedly asked.
“I have no idea.” “No idea,” Haithcoats said.
The bereaved mother and grandmother burst into tears as she recounted her tireless efforts to save Milliani.
“I tried everything to fix that mistake,” she reportedly stated through tears. “That baby was supposed to be here.”
