A South Florida woman who confessed to fatally shooting her boyfriend amid a "toxic relationship" was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
On Friday, Atoya Holmes was also sentenced to two years of community control in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend Verdell Goins.
In October, a jury found Holmes guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge. Initially, she faced second-degree murder.
“I am responsible for the death of Verdell Goins. I pulled the trigger that night. I was fighting for my life but I am responsible for the death because I was involved in a toxic relationship," Holmes said as she cried for mercy before sentencing.
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Holmes and Goins left a Miami Dolphins game in 2021 when they started arguing. Holmes took out her registered gun and shot the victim twice.
“I loved that man. I’m not talking about a love between a man and a woman," Holmes said. "I loved him with something I can’t even explain."
Prosecutors say Holmes was possessive and obsessed with Goins. She was supposedly upset he was dating another woman. Meanwhile, Holmes was married to then-Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Arthur Holmes.
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Goins's family members asked Judge William Altfield for the maximum punishment, which was 15 years.
Judge Altfield said the evidence showed Holmes was seen by a witness punching Goins shortly before the murder. The judge also said he did not believe Holmes during her trial testimony when she explained her version of the story.
“You made the choice to take out the firearm and you are a law enforcement officer," the judge said. "You know that if you are pulling out that firearm, you are pulling it out to use it. You shot him twice."
Once Holmes gets out, she must also engage in anger management courses.
