Man sentenced to life without parole after murdering girlfriend and her preborn child

A man in Amarillo, Texas, has been found guilty on one charge of capital murder of multiple persons and another charge of murder for killing a pregnant woman in February 2023. The charges reflect the deaths of both the woman and her preborn baby.

Trey Phillip Greenleaf killed his girlfriend, 31-year-old Kendra Vela, by shooting her twice in the head in a hotel room.

“Kendra always wanted to be a mother. Then she was gone,” Vela’s sister said during a victim impact statement.

“Homicide trials are always difficult, and they are even more emotionally taxing when you are seeking justice for both a mother and her unborn child,” said District Attorney Jason Herring. “Though a verdict like this cannot bring back their loved ones, our office remains committed to pursuing justice for the families of these victims.”

In this instance, Greenleaf was charged and convicted for the death of the preborn child in addition to the baby’s mother — but that isn’t always the case. These charges vary state by state, and there are many places where a preborn baby is also a victim due to the mother’s homicide, yet her perpetrator receives no punishment for the death of the child.

Last month, a former police officer in Massachusetts was arrested and charged with murdering his pregnant girlfriend, yet he has not been charged with the death of the preborn child. A similar case occurred last year in Connecticut, yet the law in that state also fails to treat preborn children as victims of violent homicide.

Homicide is one of the leading causes of death for pregnant woman, and in many instances these homicides are the result of domestic violence situations. Women in the U.S. are more likely to be murdered during pregnancy or soon after childbirth than to die from the three leading obstetric causes of maternal death, according to The BMJ.

Greenleaf has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Editor’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, please visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.

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