A man from Springfield who killed his wife of 37 years just to “shut her up” has been sentenced to life in prison.
Lilburn Motley was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty in May to first-degree murder after the death of Lavonna Haddock back in 2021.
In December of 2021, officers arrived on the scene and found Haddock with a gunshot wound.
Motley initially told them that he had been cleaning his gun, reassembled and loaded it, and began to put it under his pillow before accidentally pulling the trigger and shooting Haddock.
However, investigators told him that they found no evidence of the gun being cleaned recently, and also mentioned that the bullet’s trajectory didn’t match the position that Motley said the gun was in.
According to the probable cause statement, Motley then told investigators that “I just shot her to shut her up, then.”
Motley’s lawyers requested a mental evaluation in early 2022, and he was deemed competent to stand trial.
Photo courtesy of Greene County Jail.
