Lithonia man sentenced to 70 years in prison for shooting wife in face

A Lithonia man has been sentenced to nearly 70 years in prison for shooting his wife in the face in 2019.

The horrific events took place on June 14, 2019, at a Lithonia apartment complex on Hillandale Drive.

Dmante Dontrell Anderson sentenced

What we know:

Dmante Dontrell Anderson, a Lithonia man, was sentenced to 70 years in prison, serving 63 years, for shooting his wife in the face in 2019.

The incident occurred on June 14, 2019, at a Lithonia apartment complex.

Anderson shot his wife after discovering she had filed for divorce, in front of their children.

A jury found Anderson guilty of multiple aggravated assault and cruelty to children charges, among other weapons charges.

Anderson has a prior conviction for aggravated assault from 2013, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

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Dmante Dontrell Anderson (Supplied)

Case reaches Supreme Court

The backstory:

The case faced numerous legal challenges, including issues that reached the Supreme Court, motions filed, bar complaints, and a judicial recusal. There were particular issues in this case that made it way all the way up to the Supreme Court…And there was a lot of focus on our office. And there were a lot of motions filed, bar complaints. There was a judicial recusal even in this case," Boston said.

The DeKalb County District Attorney's office, led by Sherry Boston, persisted in pursuing justice despite these obstacles.

DeKalb County DA reacts to sentence

What they're saying:

Boston says over the past 5 years her Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault team at the D.A.’s office kept pushing despite legal hurdles being thrown up by the defense. 

Sherry Boston stated, "Luckily, by the grace of God, our victim survived the gunshot wound to her face."

Boston emphasized, "Domestic violence will not be tolerated…Mr. Anderson will go to prison for effectively the rest of his life."

She also remarked, "We wanted to send a message that you will not stop us from pursuing justice, no matter how many obstacles a defendant may throw in our way. We will not be deterred."

Help to end abusive relationships 

What you can do:

The DeKalb D.A. Office continues to focus on protecting individuals from violence when exiting abusive relationships.

DA Boston said you can contact their victim advocates at 404-371-2561 or the Women’s Resource Center at 404-688-9436. 

You can also call the Georgia Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-33-HAVEN or 1-800-334-2836. 

The Source: Information for this story was obtained from the original court documents. FOX 5 also spoke with DeKalb County District Attorney, Sherry Boston.

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