Bedford teen De’Auntay Moye was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his involvement in the murder of 21-year old Stephanie Waters. In October, Ryan Hardwick, who was also involved, was sentenced to a minimum of 60 years.
Moye admitted to fatally shooting Waters back in January of 2015. Hardwick shot her dog, Duke. The two then drove around in her car, smoking marijuana as she died in the back seat. Hardwick admitted to helping hide the car, the gun, and the body.
Hardwick and Moye, both 15 and 16 at the time, originally planned to meet up with Waters’ boyfriend to buy marijuana, but Waters showed up instead.
Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins said Moye is dangerous and a serious threat to public safety. Presiding Judge Travis Livengood agreed in court Friday afternoon. Higgins said Moye’s history spoke for itself; Moye admitted to being a regular user of drugs and alcohol by 13 years old. He also claimed to have started drinking at the young age of ten.
Moye’s defense argued he never stood a chance to stay on the right path. He grew up in Baltimore and was a “corner kid”, used as a go-between in drug deals. When he moved to predominantly Caucasian Woodbury, Bedford County, he struggled to fit in and stay in school. With structure, Moye seemed to succeed, but he could never stay straight.
Livengood said Moye’s community and family failed him, but that was no excuse for what he did.
Waters’ mother, Sally Harr, said the sentence was a relief. “It’s fitting. I do feel bad, but you know my daughter doesn’t have a life. They took that. He took that,” she said. “So why should he be able to have a life?”
Friday’s life sentence was the result of Moye’s recent guilty plea.
