WASHINGTON — The man convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter and her mother in Prince George’s County over child support received two consecutive life sentences without the chance of parole.
Daron Boswell-Johnson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, as well as weapons charges, in April of shooting and killing NeShante Davis, 26, a teacher at Bradbury Heights Elementary School, and their daughter, Chloe Davis-Green, in February 2016. They were killed as Davis was putting the girl in a car seat in the parking lot of their apartment building in Fort Washington, Maryland.
He was also sentenced Thursday to 20 years on the weapons charges.
Boswell-Johnson had been ordered in November 2015 to pay $600 a month in child support. Detectives and prosecutors said during the trial that he confronted Davis on the morning of Feb. 2, 2016, and demanded she drop the order. He then shot them both and fled.
Detectives found him later that day at his job in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and he went to police headquarters for an interview. Prosecutors said he confessed to the killings there; a video of him confessing was played for jurors during the trial.
Judge Michael Pearson said at the hearing that he had never come across a case that “shocks the conscience” like this one.
State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks prosecuted the case herself. After the sentencing, she called the case “very, very personal,” characterizing Boswell-Johnson as “a lawless and ruthless individual” and noting that it took the jury less than two hours to reach a verdict.
She added that prosecutors believed Davis-Green, the 2-year-old, was the real target, saying that Boswell-Johnson had researched ways to terminate child support before the murder and that he had just received a notice of wage garnishment in the mail.
Referring to the investigators, Alsobrooks said “No one could talk about that case without weeping.”
Davis’ aunt, Cheryl Taylor, said the family was “pleased with the outcome” but that “we’re still dealing with it. We’re having a hard time sleeping at night.”
Boswell-Johnson’s only words during the sentencing hearing were to say he didn’t want to speak. His lawyer moved for a new trial, told the judge he was falsely convicted and plans to appeal.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo and John Aaron contributed to this report.
