Judge Slaps Life Sentence on Boyfriend Killer

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]the family and friends of David Baron. I appreciate your class. I appreciate your decorum and I want to speak to you directly.

[00:00:12]Clearly, there are no words that this court can offer that will bring your loved one back and there's no sentence that will change anything.

[00:00:22]Clearly, the court can never fill the void and the grief left by David's absence.

[00:00:35]You've been extremely attentive in court. You've been here for um the many court dates we've had, not just the twoe trial. Um many of you have uh viewed the motions as well.

[00:00:52]And it is clear that you are fighting through staggering and profound grief.

[00:01:00]And the court recognized that.

[00:01:06]I've sat on this bench for over two weeks, if you include motions, almost three weeks. I've reviewed um hundreds if not thousands of pages from the lawyers in my chambers. I am intimately familiar with this case.

[00:01:27]I was able to judge the credibility of witnesses including uh Miss Miracle's credibility here in this very courtroom.

[00:01:40]In doing so, I feel compelled.

[00:01:44]I feel compelled to address the record regarding things that were stated in this courtroom.

[00:01:55]Everyone has a right to a fair trial.

[00:02:00]I do want to specifically state that the disparaging and quite frankly disgusting comments regarding Mr. David Baron lacked complete credibility.

[00:02:15]Lacked complete credibility.

[00:02:25]They serve no purpose other than to tarnish, unfairly tarnish the memory of a man who is no longer here to defend himself.

[00:02:38]I take you at your testimony at trial at here today as well as the other factors that I've considered and that I recognize David Baron for the man that he truly was to you and not the characterization that was manufactured in this courtroom.

[00:03:05]I hope that the proceedings provide a sense of finality for the legal chapter.

[00:03:17]I wish you nothing but the best as it relates to your journey of grief and healing.

[00:03:24]This is not something that we can change clearly.

[00:03:31]I know that this is a very compelling and hard case.

[00:03:40]I understand your emotions.

[00:03:42]I understand your loss and it's not fair. It's not fair to you.

[00:03:52]It's not That being said that the court um along with the input from the parties will fashion an appropriate sentence for the legal consequences for the legal consequences of the incident that we're very well aware of to the defendant Suzanne Miracle.

[00:04:26]jury has heard and rendered its verdict.

[00:04:30]I too have listened to every nook and cranny of this case. Two weeks of trial, arguably a week of um motions on and off, thousands of pages.

[00:04:43]My duty is to impose a sentence that reflects the gravity of the harm that you caused that you caused.

[00:04:49]Not Mr. arent you caused.

[00:04:54]These are requirements under the law and they're requirements under justice.

[00:05:01]In determining the sentence, I've considered your conduct throughout this trial. You testified, which you have a right to do.

[00:05:10]I found your testimony to be not credible. I found that you were the primary aggressor in this situation. I found that you had many, many, many offramps and you chose not to take them.

[00:05:39]Mr. Baron clearly left the pro your proximity and uh retreated to the upstairs, closed the door.

[00:05:48]You clearly pursued him.

[00:05:50]You clearly fired through the door. And I think the state made a very compelling argument to the jury that somehow that the status quo had been your version of events, that you in fact were firing through the door or the lock.

[00:06:11]But the state, I think, accurately pointed out you very well could have been not aiming for the lock in your jealous rage.

[00:06:28]That's what it was.

[00:06:37]I want to be very clear. The efforts to disparage Mr. Baron this case were noted by this court.

[00:06:43]I found the comments regarding Mr. Baron to not only be inflammatory but fundamentally not credible.

[00:06:51]You had the gun. You fired him.

[00:06:56]You had through your profession. You have medical training. No evidence that you rendered aid.

[00:07:12]There's clear evidence that you then staged the crime scene.

[00:07:20]Clear evidence that you staged the crime scene.

[00:07:35]The attempts to shift blame and bismerch Mr. Baron do not weigh in your favor.

[00:07:43]These unfounded assertions do not mitigate your guilt, but only serve to highlight a lack of genuine remorse for the tragedy that has occurred.

[00:07:58]Every action carries consequences and in this consequence, these consequences are catastrophic and they're permanent.

[00:08:15]appreciate your family's professionalism and um decorum as well. They did nothing wrong.

[00:08:24]They did nothing wrong.

[00:08:29]But I think Mr. Baron's family said it correctly that they'll be able to visit you in the Department of Corrections.

[00:08:37]The Baron family will not be able to visit Mr. Baron.

[00:08:44]This is a real case.

[00:08:49]This is not theoretical.

[00:08:51]This is not an exercise of law school or law. This is the real world and this is a reckoning.

[00:09:22]>> State's recommendation one more time in totality please. Um, judge, as to the felony murder, it was asking for life with the possibility of parole. Um, I think the criminal damage would was it match?

[00:09:40]>> Huh?

[00:09:42]>> Merges and then the reckless 12 months concurrent.

[00:09:47]>> Thank you.

[00:09:58]It was just Oh, I forgot about the tampering with evidence. Um, would also be 12 months concurrent.

[00:10:21]Sorry. That's why I asked. Thank you, >> Judge. I think the reckless also merges into the >> I can't hear you.

[00:10:34]>> I'm sorry. I think the reckless there's a there's a criminal damage and a reckless. Those both merge into the felony murder. So, it's a felony murder and then it should be a tampering. And >> and I agree, your honor, >> the sentence will still reflect Anything else?

[00:10:59]>> Not in the seat. Judge, >> I think we're all aware and I think that um both sides have have made this point.

[00:11:10]at your age. Um, by law, you can take your age, we're at 62 or 63, and add 30, 93.

[00:11:21]Um, I think in the best of circumstances, that's a um long life lived. I'll make no comment one way or the other. Um, this is certainly a case that could be argued both ways. coming in today, I was anticipating not only the domestic violence issue um that was being going to be brought up, but obviously um contemplating what the sides and obviously you never know, but contemplating what the sides would or would not ask for. Um I agree with the parties as it relates to the lack of prior criminal history.

[00:12:16]that other factors are not present in this case. I I I completely understand that. Um I also agree with the general concept that life or life without parole, whatever it may, is essentially um a life sentence. Um and For the family sake, I do want to be clear that I I do believe that this is a case that warrants um Miss Miracle never never leaving the Department of Corrections.

[00:12:49]Um so for whatever comfort that is, um and and I'm not going to get into what the lawyers think or don't think. I think that there may be a u legal issue if I were to impose life uh without the possibility parole. I'm making no assumptions of what the lawyers, but I think that's why um the state's asking for what they're asking for. So, I will I will side with the state and I will impose their requested sentence. Um that being said that the very likelihood is that this is um her being imprisoned for the rest of her natural life. So I will concur with the state in their recommendation which is the same as a defense without this the domestic violence um mitigating which I've ruled against.

[00:13:47]Judgment of the court that you are committed to the department of corrections for the remainder of your natural life.

[00:13:54]I hereby remain the defendant the custody of the sheriff's department and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

[00:13:59]We are adjourned.