On Dec. 19, a 22-year-old Georgia man received a life sentence after pleading guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend during a Fourth of July get together in 2021.
Raphael Kelly pleaded guilty to malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He admitted to fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Laci Moss, after they got into a fight at the gathering.
After arguing with Moss, Kelly left and returned with a gun. He shot Moss six times in front of her mother and her friends. 10 days later, Kelly was arrested after turning himself in at the Henry Sheriff’s Office.
Kelly admitted guilt as a part of a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. He had known Moss and her family for almost 10 years.
“I hope you see her face every day that you live out the rest of your life and think about what you’ve done,” Henry County Superior Court Judge Pandora E. Palmer told Kelly during the sentencing. “If you had just walked away, we would not be here.”
