A 30-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday for murdering his wife, who was in the process of leaving him, the city State's Attorney's Office announced.
Antonio Girard Stewart, who has worked as a security guard and was licensed to carry a concealed handgun, received a 30-year-term for the murder and a consecutive 20-year term for using a gun to commit a crime of violence.
According to charging documents, police found Stewart on a neighbor's back porch after a three-hour standoff Nov. 30, 2008. He was unconscious, clutching a handgun and hanging from his neck by his belt. His wife, Dawn Williams-Stewart, was crumpled at the bottom of their home's basement stairs, shot in the stomach.
Williams-Stewart's daughter, Litia Land, said her mother was in the process of leaving Stewart. Land called the house that day and heard a scuffle in the background, then called a friend to check on the situation. The friend heard Williams-Stewart screaming, and the couple's 4-year-old son say "Daddy said he's going to kill Mommy now," according to the prosecution.
Police arrived at the home about 8:30 p.m., but couldn't take control until 11:15 p.m. because of gunshots inside. Williams-Stewart was pronounced dead about a half hour after police entered her home. Stewart's injuries were treated at a hospital.