DECATUR, Ga. (TCN) — A 24-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend and causing the death of their baby several months later.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced that on May 9, a jury found Diamonte Haithcoats guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault — family violence, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the deaths of his girlfriend, 20-year-old Shaniyah Rodriguez, and their baby, Milliani Rodriguez. A judge sentenced Haithcoats to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus five years.
According to prosecutors, on Feb. 2, 2023, a resident at a condominium complex heard gunshots and found Shaniyah Rodriguez lying on the ground outside with a gunshot wound to the head. He called law enforcement at around 5:45 a.m., and DeKalb County Police responded to the scene, where they later recovered seven shell casings.
Rodriguez, who the sheriff’s office said was seven months pregnant with Haithcoats’ child, was rushed to the hospital. Doctors performed an emergency cesarean to deliver the baby. Rodriguez died two days later, and her daughter died on June 19, 2023.
According to the district attorney’s office, the witness noticed an SUV drive away shortly after hearing the gunshots. Police obtained license plate reader footage from the area and saw a dark blue Hyundai Palisade leaving the complex at around 5:46 a.m.
Authorities found the Palisade days after the fatal shooting and determined it had been stolen. Authorities reportedly learned Rodriguez’s phone paired through Bluetooth to a device labeled “Palisade” shortly before law enforcement received a report of the shooting. The victim’s phone automatically connected to the car’s Bluetooth when detectives turned it on. Digital evidence also purportedly revealed that Haithcoats’ phone was left at the complex following Rodriguez’s shooting death.
According to prosecutors, Haithcoats spoke with police and “tried to downplay the extent of his relationship with Rodriguez,” and he wouldn’t admit to residing with Rodriguez or fathering her child.
In the days leading up to her death, the district attorney’s office said Rodriguez had told her friend that her relationship with Haithcoats had “started to deteriorate,” and “she feared for her safety while in a relationship with him.”
