Mother of 4 strangled while kids were home, man sentenced in her death

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    COBB COUNTY, Georgia (WGCL) — A Cobb County man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to strangling his girlfriend at her Cobb County home.

The incident happened on August 23, 2018, according to a spokesperson with the Cobb County district attorney’s office.

Officials said Christopher G. Scarboro, 29, got into a heated argument with his girlfriend, Xi-Anna Graham, 24, at her home on Bonnie Dell Drive in Marietta.

“In a fit of rage, Scarboro put his hands around her neck and squeezed until she stopped breathing. He then fled the scene,” said a spokesperson with the district attorney’s office.

After killing her, Scarboro anonymously called the police requesting officers go by the home to check on Graham. During his 9-1-1 call, Scarboro refused to tell officers what happened to Graham.

A Marietta police officer arrived at Graham’s home and found her lying on her bedroom floor without a pulse.

At the time of the murder, Graham’s four minor children were home.

In an interview at SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, “one child recalled hearing banging noises earlier in the night, and then, referring to the defendant and the child’s mother, stated, he always, he does bad things to her…and now he…killed her,” according to a spokesperson with the district attorney’s office.

The Cobb Medical Examiner later determined Graham’s death was the result of asphyxia due to strangulation.

During Scarboro’s sentencing hearing, Graham’s father told the court: “I held her in my arms and watched her take her first breath, and he took her breath away.”

“Domestic abusers are among the most heinous offenders. They abuse, manipulate, and traumatize those who love them the most. For Xi-Anna, the abuse turned lethal and left her four children motherless. I hope that this sentence, and perhaps the timing of it — as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day — will help her family and children begin to heal,” Green said.

Help is available for anyone suffering abuse in an intimate relationship. Locally, LiveSAFE Resources can help victims break free from domestic violence. Their 24-hour crisis line is 770-427-3390, and they are on the web at livesaferesources.org.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline also provides resources to victims, regardless of location. The hotline number is 1-800-799-7233. thehotline.org.

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