"You are useless," one of Jason Starr's daughters declared in court, according to WTVY. Another daughter was even more blunt, stating in court: "F*** you. I hope you rot."
An Alabama man charged with murdering his ex-wife listened as his daughters eviscerated him in court last week at his sentencing hearing.
A jury convicted Jason Starr and his brother Darin of murdering Sara Starr, a struggling single mother who had recently divorced her husband when she was shot dead in her driveway at the age of 38.
The couple's children finally got a chance to address their father and his actions in court last week before a judge handed down a life sentence to both brothers, and they did not hold back.
"You are useless," one of his daughters declared in court, according to WTVY.
Another daughter was even more blunt, stating in court: "F*** you. I hope you rot."
Court documents and evidence presented during the six-day trial alleged that Jason had been angry after a judge awarded a significant portion of his income to his ex-wife back in 2017.
Investigators then learned that Jason had been making payments to his brother Darin between September and November of that year, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Alabama.
Investigators were able to learn that Darin then drove from his home in Texas to Alabama just before Thanksgiving by utilizing cellphone records, which also put Darin close to Sara's home multiple times in the days after the holiday.
Those cellphone records also revealed that on the day of the murder, Darin turned off his device sometime around midnight and did not turn it back on until eight hours later as he drove back to Texas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Alabama.
Sara, a fourth-grade school teacher, was shot dead in her driveway at 7 a.m. as she returned to work after the Thanksgiving break, according to prosecutors.
Her husband, Jason, had an alibi however, as he was seen eating at a diner after dropping their four children off at school.
It took investigators years to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, but their hard work paid off when a jury convicted the brothers of murder back in September.
“Due to the extraordinary work by the investigative team comprised of the FBI, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, these two men will be held accountable for their heinous actions,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim. and our gratitude to our law enforcement partners.”
Lawyers for the brothers are appealing their convictions. They did not respond to a request for comment.
"This premeditated murder devastated the victim’s family and the surrounding community,” said Acting United States Attorney Ross. “Jason and Darin Starr deserve to spend the rest of their lives separated from society for the terrible crime they committed.”
