Man gets 30 years in soldier spouse's murder Posted On: Saturday, Oct. 31 2009 05:01 AM By Victor O'Brien
Killeen Daily Herald

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Thursday after he confessed to murdering his wife, a Fort Hood soldier.

U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith sentenced Donovan Darcell Lair, 36, to 30 years in federal prison to be followed by five years probation.

The maximum Lair could have received was life in prison for the act of second-degree murder on a government reservation.

Lair pleaded guilty on Sept. 3 to stabbing and killing Sgt. Shameka Nicole Jones, 26, on June 22.

Lair's sentencing brings quick closure to an open and shut murder case. From the night of the incident, Lair admitted he stabbed his wife, court documents stated.

Lair stabbed his ex-wife in the chest with a butcher knife on June 22 around 1 a.m. at her Fort Hood residence, records stated.

Lair, a civilian, called 911 after he stabbed the 36th Engineer Brigade soldier.

When police arrived, he flagged them to the crime scene, according to court records. Once inside, police found Jones suffering from a stab wound next to a bed.

Lair and Jones divorced two weeks before the murder. Lair arrived June 22 to pick up his biological child when an argument started during which he stabbed Jones, records stated.

Contact Victor O'Brien at vobrien@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7468.