Man gets 3 life terms for killing young stepsisters, man

Published 10:05 am Monday, December 23, 2019

NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee man has been sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison plus an additional 80 years for killing his stepsisters, ages 5 and 8, and a 70-year-old motorist.

Queshan Brooks, 26, was sentenced Thursday on charges including premeditated murder, news outlets report. He pleaded guilty in October.

He has admitted to shooting and wounding his stepmother in January 2018 and then walking outside and fatally shooting his stepsisters as they were playing in the snow. His stepmother, Darnykka Daniel McCray, testified that she saw him standing over her daughters’ bodies and holding a gun “execution style.” The girl’s died from gunshot wounds to their heads.

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Brooks fled from the Nashville scene and carjacked two men, both of whom he shot. One of the men, Robert Payne, died at the scene. Police responding to the reported carjacking found the car abandoned and followed tracks in the snow to Brooks.

“Words can’t really define the heinous nature of this brutal crime that shook Nashville. Within 30 minutes, a 5-year-old little girl, her 8-year-old sister, and a 70-year-old man were senselessly murdered,” Nashville Assistant District Attorney Debbie Housel said.

The motive remains unclear.