Georgi Man Sentenced to Life in Prison After he Fatally Shot his Newly Married Wife

A man from Georgia has been sentenced after he shot his wife less than two months after they were married. The man claimed that his wife was nagging him because of his drinking, and so, he fatally shot her. A jury convicted him in March and sentenced him to life in prison.

Georgia man identified as Benjamin Whitaker was sentenced to life in prison on April 29 for fatally shooting his wife. Whitaker was a former hospital nurse and was convicted by a jury in March of several felony charges, including murder, malicious murder, and two counts of aggravated assault.

Whitaker was initially scheduled to be sentenced in May, but his sentencing was moved up to April 29, when a judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole. The victim, Tiffani Scarborough, 25, was married to Whitaker for less than two months.

According to WMAZ reports, a local CBS affiliate, the couple had been married for 59 days when Whitaker fired five shots at the victim and fled the home they shared in Dublin, Georgia.

Local news outlet The Courier Herald reported that during Whitaker’s first trial last year, details of the case were disclosed. According to The Courier Herald, Whitaker and Scarborough married on May 1, 2021, after dating for about a year beforehand. Both worked as nurses; Whitaker was a registered nurse at Fairview Park Hospital, and Scarborough was a nurse at a local OB/GYN office.

Scarborough had a young son, and she and her son moved into Whitaker’s house after they got married.

Scarborough was found dead on June 29, 2021, less than two months after their wedding day. Two of her co-workers went to her home when she failed to show up for work that day. When they looked inside the house, they saw bullet holes in the back door. One of the co-workers called police, who arrived and found Scarborough dead inside the house.

The next day, Whitaker was found in a wooded area in a neighboring county. When police interviewed Whitaker, he told them that Scarborough “was criticizing me about having a couple of drinks. That nagging set me off.” He told police that he went to their bedroom to retrieve a handgun, then “I walked into the kitchen, and I shot her.” The prosecution said Whitaker shot Scarborough five times.

Whitaker’s defense attorney told the court that the deadly act was “out of character for him.” He said Whitaker was taking Lexapro and Buspar for depression, which he suffered from after losing several patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The defense told the court that the drug combination was “dangerous” and prevented Whitaker from knowing what was right or wrong at the time of the murder.

The last trial for Whitaker, which took place last year, was declared a mistrial, and another trial was held in March this year, during which he was sentenced. In the second trial, the jury found him guilty after deliberating for three hours.