Boyfriend found guilty of strangling, killing Fort Valley State student

PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — A man has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty in the murder of a Fort Valley State student.

Anitra Gunn vanished from Fort Valley on Feb. 14, 2020. Her body was discovered several days later in a wooded area in Crawford County. Gunn was a graduate of Westlake High School in Atlanta.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Her boyfriend DeMarcus Little, an Army sergeant at Fort Gordon, was arrested in connection to her death days later. Prosecutors believe Little, an Army sergeant at Fort Gordon, strangled Gunn to death.

After a week-long trial, the jury found Little guilty on felony murder and aggravated assault but not guilty of malice murder. The judge sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole.

TRENDING STORIES:

• “Grieving, healing and reflection:” Victims’ friends, families mark 1 year since spa shootings
• Murder of woman in Piedmont Park last year now a ‘forensic’ investigation, police say
• 32 Georgians arrested after ‘Operation Hell Froze Over’ drug bust

Before the jury deliberated Tuesday, Little took the stand in his own defense. WGXA-TV reported inside the courtroom as Little testified and saw Gunn’s father leave the courtroom during his testimony.

Little said Gunn was his “lifeline” and “soulmate” and “meant everything to me.”

The prosecution asked Little questions about his activity leading up to Gunn’s death. According to Fort Valley police, Little slashed Gunn’s car tires and threw a brick through her window nine days before her death.

“You slashed your soulmate’s tires? Broke your soulmate’s windows? Told her you tried to kill yourself and told her it was her fault?” prosecutor Dawn Baskin asked. Little answered yes to all the questions.

But Little continued to testify that he was not a monster.

“I’m not the person that you’re making me out to be. I’m not a monster. Because if I was a monster, she would have left me a long time ago,” Little said.

The jury took only two hours to deliberate and reach a guilty verdict.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Judge reveals college student Anitra Gunn's cause of death Prosecutors believe Georgia college student Anitra Gunn was strangled to death by her boyfriend on Valentine's Day, court proceedings revealed Monday.

©2022 Cox Media Group