Army sergeant from San Antonio sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife

Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney was convicted in August

A U.S. Army sergeant from San Antonio convicted of murdering his wife was sentenced Friday to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors say Army Sgt. Maliek Kearney, 37, traveled from South Carolina to Maryland to murder Karlyn Ramirez in August of 2015. Ramirez was an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Meade. The couple had a 4-month-old daughter.

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Ramirez was shot to death in her home. Prosecutors say Kearney removed her pants and underwear to make it look like a sexual assault and then placed their baby in Ramirez's arms.

 “Maliek Kearney coldheartedly planned the murder of his wife and placed his 4-month-old baby in her dead arms after shooting her several times at close range," said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. 

Kearney's girlfriend, Delores Delgado, also from San Antonio, was sentenced in September to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to her role in the murder. She provided the firearm and allowed Kearney to drive her car to Maryland. She also disposed of the firearm and other evidence after the crime.


About the Author:

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.