A Tarrant County jury on Monday convicted Maurice Kelso Smith, 32, of the 2020 capital murder of his girlfriend Darionne Barley, who was pregnant with twin boys.
Smith was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for this crime.
Smith and Burley were last seen leaving a Waffle House in the Fort Worth area on June 29, 2020. Within an hour, Smith shot Burley in the back of the head, killing Burley instantly and the infant, according to the Tarrant County Attorney's Office.
In an attempt to escape, Smith drove to Mansfield, where he robbed a woman at gunpoint of her car.
He left his car at the scene of the robbery, where police found Burley in the passenger seat of the car.
Detectives found Smith at the address cleaning out a stolen car and attempting to destroy evidence of the murder.
Police learned he had also committed another robbery attempt at the location. Police recovered his bloody clothes and the murder weapon.
It turned out that the gun had been purchased illegally the day before. Ballistics evidence matched the firearm to shell casings in the car where Burley was found.
Despite a fun gender reveal party in May, the jury heard evidence that Smith assaulted Burley in early June and was high on drugs at this time.
“In June 2020, Darionne's friends and family feared for her safety, and it turns out their concerns were justified,” Assistant District Attorney Kate Hinojosa said. “Because at the end of this month she will die at the hands of this defendant.”
The jury heard evidence showed Smith was faking intoxication and memory loss after he was arrested by MedStar and taken to JPS for several hours on suspicion of overdosing. .
Assistant District Attorney Alena Bangs said: “After trying to remove the handcuffs at the hospital and being given a stern warning by police, the reality that he killed his girlfriend and two babies and now faces the ultimate consequences.'' attacked him,” he said. .
“There are no winners here,” the Burley family told Smith in a post-sentence statement, detailing what life would have been like for Darionne and her family had it not been for his actions.
