Man convicted of killing pregnant girlfriend in 2023 in DeKalb County
Diamonte Haithcoats. Courtesy of DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County jury has convicted a Stone Mountain man in the 2023 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend, an attack that also led to the death of their baby four months later.
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What we know:
On May 9, a jury found 24-year-old Diamonte Haithcoats guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault – Family Violence, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in the killing of 20-year-old Shaniyah Rodriguez and the subsequent death of her baby, Milliani Rodriguez.
The fatal shooting occurred on Feb. 2, 2023, at a condominium complex on Old Singleton Lane in unincorporated Clarkston.
A resident reported hearing gunfire around 5:45 a.m. and found Rodriguez lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders transported her to Grady Memorial Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver her daughter. Rodriguez died two days later, and her baby passed away on June 19, 2023.
What they're saying:
The investigation by DeKalb County Police revealed key evidence linking Haithcoats to the crime. Seven rifle shell casings were recovered at the scene, and surveillance cameras captured a dark blue Hyundai Palisade leaving the complex at the time of the shooting. The vehicle, later found to be stolen, had connected via Bluetooth to Rodriguez’s phone just minutes before the 911 call. When the phone was turned on near the recovered vehicle, it reconnected to the car’s system. Data from Haithcoats’s phone also placed him at the scene, leaving the area immediately after the shooting.
Despite denying the extent of his relationship with Rodriguez or fathering her child, friends told investigators she had recently expressed fear for her safety in the days leading up to her death.
What's next:
Following the guilty verdicts, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith sentenced Haithcoats to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years.
The case was prosecuted by the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit. Senior Assistant District Attorneys Paige Boorman and Elizabeth Tarver led the prosecution, supported by District Attorney Investigator Andre Williams and Victim Advocate Britney Winley. Detective D.D. Evans of the DeKalb County Police Department led the initial investigation.
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