MESA — A woman pregnant with twins was fatally shot by her boyfriend following an argument at their home, Arizona prosecutors say.
Now, Michael Owen Foster, 38, has been given a 19-year prison sentence in his girlfriend’s shooting death, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in an August 29 news release.
Foster’s sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in May, court records show.
An attorney for Foster did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on September 2.
Mesa Police officers responded to a call about domestic violence in May 2021, prosecutors said.
When officers arrived at the couple’s home, they found a woman dead in an upstairs bedroom, prosecutors said.
At the time, three young children were home, according to prosecutors.
Officers found Foster outside the home when they arrived, and he told them the two were arguing before the fatal shooting, prosecutors said.
Investigators later learned the woman was pregnant with twins when she died, prosecutors said.
Foster gave different stories about what led to the shooting during the investigation, prosecutors said.
However, “forensic evidence and witness statements contradicted” some of Foster’s statements, “confirming his direct role in the fatal” shooting, prosecutors said.
“A mother, her unborn twins, and a family were destroyed by one violent, reckless act,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release. “Domestic violence escalates quickly and can have devastating consequences, which is why our office will never stop pursuing justice for victims.”
Mesa is about a 20-mile drive east from Phoenix.
By DANIELLA SEGURO/McClatchy News
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.