An Arizona man who beat his girlfriend to death, burned her remains, and abandoned her baby on the side of the road was convicted of murder on Feb. 7.
Antwaun Ware, 27, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and endangerment and was sentenced to life behind bars without parole for the gruesome killing of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, according to a statement issued by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
In March 2018, Ware and his ex, Jasmine Dunbar, headed out to take a paternity test, bringing along her 7-month-old daughter, according to a police report. This was the last day anyone would see or hear from Dunbar again.
The two had been arguing earlier, and got into a deadly fight near the Camelback Ranch baseball complex in Glendale, per the probable cause statement. He “admitted he had a physical altercation with Jasmine and punched her a number of times with his fist,” police stated.
After attacking Dunbar, Ware drove off but then “panicked” when he realized the baby was still in the back seat, the report states. He dumped the child in her car seat along the side of the road a few miles away and then returned to Dunbar, who by that point had already died from her injuries.
The then-20-year-old put a piece of paper on his ex, poured gasoline over her body, and set her alight with a cigarette. “He said he watched as her body burned, and the fire went out on its own,” read the report.
If it weren’t for two good Samaritans, police may not have solved the murder. A couple spotted the abandoned baby in her car seat as they were driving by days after the incident. When they stopped to help, they found Dunbar’s ID near the child, along with a diaper bag and a single adult shoe. It didn’t take long for police to locate Dunbar’s family and determine that she was on her way with Ware to get the paternity test when she vanished.
Investigators retraced Ware’s steps, which led them to the horrific discovery of her badly charred remains. “This defendant’s callous actions have no place in our community. Thanks to the hard work of my prosecutors, he will live the rest of his life behind bars,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in the Feb. 7 statement. “To the people who rescued this baby, I say ‘thank you.’ This child is alive today because of your heroic actions.”
Described as a “sweet and struggling new mom,” in a GoFundMe set up by her family, Dunbar was just 21 years old when she died. “We all gained a beautiful angel looking down on us and guiding us,” said friend Yvonne Young at a candlelight vigil held in the field where she was killed, reported AZ Central. “If there was one person who didn’t deserve this, it was Jasmine.”
