Man murdered pregnant girlfriend, store clerk 2 months later
Share and Follow

Left: Torrey Moore (Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office). Middle: Denise Middleton (Pope Funeral Homes). Right: Ayalew Wondimu (State Attorney via Washington Post).

A Maryland man is headed to prison for the rest of his life for the murders of his pregnant girlfriend and a store clerk some two months later.

Torrey Damien Moore, 34, was sentenced Friday to three life sentences plus 80 years for the 2022 murders of his 26-year-old girlfriend Denise Middleton, the unborn fetus and the clerk, Ayalew Wondimu.

The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Moore walked into the Dash In convivence store in Silver Spring on Dec. 8 despite being banned and grabbed an iced tea before walking up to the counter.

More from Law&Crime: Mother of 3 dies months after man allegedly tortured her for days and caused her brain to stop functioning

At some point, Moore allegedly began throwing items from the front counter at the 61-year-old Wondimu. Next, police said, the employee picked up a metal pole from behind the counter and tried to strike Moore from across the counter. The defendant then allegedly took a step back, removed a “silver handgun” from his “front vest pocket” and shot the convenience store clerk at point-blank range.

Once Wondimu fell to the ground, Moore reached over the counter and shot him multiple times before fleeing the store. The next day, cops completed a no-knock raid on Moore’s apartment across the street where they found the suspect.

“However that’s not where the story ends,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy. “That’s where it became, tragically, worse than they ever could have imagined because there was a terrible smell that was obvious to the officers who came in to execute the no-knock search warrant.”

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

Under a blanket, they found the body of Middleton, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant and set to deliver her and Moore’s baby boy to be named Ezekiel. She had been shot seven times and was in an advanced state of decomposition. Investigators later learned she had been dead for some two months.

Surveillance video showed Moore and Middleton enter an elevator at the apartment complex around 7 p.m. on October 9, 2022, where they had a physical altercation. Cops believe they went inside the apartment where Moore shot Middleton dead.

About an hour later, he left the apartment. He then “traveled the country” for about a month, prosecutors said. While on his vacation, he made Google searches such as “How long does it take for a dead body to smell?” and “How to move a dead body without being seen.”

Moore returned to his apartment in early November and lived with his girlfriend’s body for about a month before he killed Wondimu.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Analysis of Inmate’s Escape and Mental Health by Omar Saman Law Firm

While the escape ended without tragedy, the incident has thrown a spotlight…

Court allows Trump to withhold DOGE records

President Donald Trump speaks after signing a bill blocking California”s rule banning…

‘Horrific’: Missing Man Found Sitting on Couch Near Dismembered, Rotting Human Remains

A South Carolina man who was reported missing last week was later…

Court rules that DOJ cannot represent Trump in E. Jean Carroll case

Left: Former President Donald Trump is seen on October 18, 2023 outside…

DIDDY TRIAL SCORE BOARD: WINNERS V. LOSERS, STARS V. SCARS

A juror’s vertigo halted another day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking…

Court Prevents Trump Administration from Implementing Mass Layoffs at the Department of Education

President Donald Trump participates in a session of the G7 Summit, Monday,…

Diddy Not Testifying at Federal Sex Trafficking Trial: Report

Sean “Diddy” Combs reportedly will not take the stand at his federal…

BOLO: Police Seek Tips on Missing NY Mother, 2 Children

Amherst Police in New York are asking the public to be on…