The father of a New York woman who was murdered by her husband when she was five months pregnant told the court that the defendant committed the crime because he “wanted a boy.”

Drew Garnier, 33, pleaded guilty in March to the murder of his wife, 29-year-old Samantha Garnier, who was pregnant with the couple’s third daughter when he stabbed her to death on Sept. 4, 2024. Drew Garnier also stabbed his two young daughters, who were 6 and 9 years old at the time, and pleaded guilty to two charges of assault.

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As previously reported by Law&Crime, New York State Police responded to a “domestic dispute” at the couple’s home in Masonville, New York, two days after Labor Day. Drew Garnier surrendered to police at the scene and was treated for superficial wounds. Samantha Garnier was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The two little girls were treated for stab wounds and eventually recovered.

In court on Thursday for Drew Garnier’s sentencing, the father of Samantha Garnier addressed a possible motive for the murder of his daughter while reading his victim impact statement, local CBS affiliate WBMG reported. He believed that Drew Garnier was angry about the gender of the unborn child, telling the court, “He had wanted a boy.”