A mum who was murdered by her husband in front of their children has finally received justice.
Cynthia Bates, 28, was pushed by Jonathan Bates, which caused her to fall backwards and hit her head on the edge of the sofa.
The incident happened while the couple’s children, aged four and seven at the time, were at home in Dallas, Georgia.
Cynthia had supposedly asked her partner for a divorce the day before, as reported by Need To Know.
Bates, 45, was sentenced to life in prison this week – nearly eight years after the murder took place.
The victim was killed in May 2017 and Bates was initially arrested the following month.
His lawyers claimed that his wife’s death was an accident.
Paulding County Chief Judge Tony Beavers stated there was not enough evidence to proceed on murder charges.
Cynthia’s family were said to be outraged by the decision, which would only seek to convict the suspect of battery.
They launched an online petition calling for the judge’s removal from the bench, which gathered 11,600 signatures at the time.
Beavers eventually recused himself from the case as information came to light that the judge had a personal connection to the suspect’s family.
A grand jury indicted Bates on murder charges.
He was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of child cruelty, according to WSB-TV.
After Bates failed to attend a court hearing in October 2022, police put out a warrant for his arrest.
He was arrested in Georgia In April 2024.
Paulding County inmate records reviewed by People show he was sentenced on Wednesday (15 January).
His life sentence allows for the possibility of parole.
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