Oklahoman authorities have sentenced a 43-year-old man to life in prison for the murder of his child’s mother. The victim, 38, was shot and killed inside her house as she tried to serve him by submitting paperwork for sole custody of their 1-year-old child.
For the 2022 killing of Ashley Sneed, Tulsa County District Court Judge Clifford J. Smith on Tuesday sentenced Charles Maurice Colbert to life in a state prison without the possibility of parole, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
In December, Colbert gave up his right to a jury trial and chose to face Smith in a bench trial, where Smith found him guilty of Sneed’s murder.
The Tulsa Police Department previously released a news release stating that on May 7, 2022, at about 12:30 p.m., officers were called to a residence near E Latimer Court and N 89th E Avenue in reference to a reported homicide.
First responders discovered Sneed, an adult female who was later identified, suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds when they arrived at the scene.
Investigators claimed they found out that Sneed tried to lock Colbert out of the house when he got there. Once Colbert gained entry to the house, the two engaged into a heated dispute over Colbert’s right to visitation with their child.
“Sneed attempted to serve Colbert papers for child custody,” According to the release. “Colbert became very angry and shot and killed Sneed. Colbert then fled the scene.”
