'What are you doing?': Children find their mother on the ground in bedroom with 'massive amount of blood' and her husband standing over her with a gun

A Georgia antheral volition walk the remainder of his days down bars for shooting his woman of 10 years dormant and allowing 2 of her children to find her connected the crushed successful the chamber with "a monolithic magnitude of humor coming from her legs."

Johnnie Alston was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during committee of a felony and 2 counts of kid cruelty successful the decease of Alicia Alston, the Clayton County District Attorney's Office said successful a press release. A justice sentenced him to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

The incidental occurred astir 10 a.m. Dec. 30, 2022, astatine the family's location successful Ellenwood, which is astir 20 miles southeast of Atlanta. Two kids heard gunshots coming from their mother's chamber and ran toward her cries for help. They recovered 45-year-old Alicia Alston connected the crushed with "a monolithic magnitude of humor coming from her legs." Johnnie Alston stood implicit her pointing a gun.

He fled the home, went to a state presumption to "think" earlier checking into a motel. Cops arrested him a fewer days later, and helium wrote an apology missive to the children and his wife's family.

The suspect took the basal astatine his proceedings to effort to person jurors to convict him of involuntary manslaughter, but it didn't work. In fact, jurors said the grounds was the "strongest factor" for convicting him of the astir superior counts, according to prosecutors.

J'Kayla Smith, past 16, said she was 1 of the children who recovered her parent said successful an interrogation with section NBC affiliate WXIA.

"I'm conscionable like, 'what is helium doing?' I archer him, 'John, what are you doing?'" she told the outlet.

That's erstwhile her parent grabbed her attention.

"She tells maine 'call the police,'" J'Kayla said. "She's similar 'close the door, telephone the police.'"

Authorities did not divulge a motive for the shooting, but the victim's oldest girl Jazmine Pennamon said her parent was considering a divorce.

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"She was bushed of her matrimony and conscionable having to woody with the things that came with him and wanted retired of it," Pennamon explained to WXIA. "He honestly didn't adjacent consciousness similar a stepdad to us."

Alicia Alston was a devoted parent of 12 who loved spending clip with her kids.

"She was loved by everybody," Pennamon said.

In a statement, District Attorney Tasha M. Mosley said: "I privation to commend my squad for their tireless dedication and hard enactment successful securing justness connected behalf of Mrs. Alston. While this condemnation cannot undo the achy events of Dec. 30, 2022, it is our sincere anticipation that her household has recovered immoderate benignant of bid and closure done this outcome."