Cobb County man sentenced to life for wife's horrific murder

A Cobb County man. who pled guilty to murdering his wife last year, will spend the rest of his life in prison. 

Tuesday morning, Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced Donny William Eaton, 65, has been sentenced to life in prison for the April 4, 2017, death of his wife, Roxanne Tenore.  

Eaton pled guilty on Monday to malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault, and admitted that he used a pocket knife to cut the 66-year-old's throat inside their Liberty Hill Road home, in an attempt to cut her head off. 

Following his wife's murder, Eaton turned himself in at the Bartow County Sheriff's Office, where he told authorities about a fight he had with his wife after she purchased a home in Florida. He said she wanted them to start a new life together. 

“Donny Eaton took the life of his wife in a gruesome manner, with it appearing that he was attempting to decapitate her, all because she wanted to be closer to her children and grandchildren in Florida to live out the remainder of their lives,” said Senior ADA Patricia Hull. “Donny Eaton refused to leave their home in Georgia. If he couldn’t have her here with him in Georgia, he didn’t want her children to have her, either.”

Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark accepted Eaton's guilty plea on Monday and immediately sentenced him to life in prison. Jury selection was about to begin in his trial. 

Eaton's sons previously told FOX 5 their mother had a heart of gold, helped anyone in the community who needed her and did not deserve what happened to her. Her loved ones said she was an amazing mother, grandmother and fr, end, who will be truly missed.

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