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Torrey Damien Moore, 33, was found guilty Friday, Nov. 22, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County for the deaths of Denise Middleton, 26, who was eight and a half months pregnant with an unborn child when he shot her seven times.
The case marks the first time Montgomery County has secured a murder conviction for the death of a viable fetus, officials said
Moore was also convicted of:
- Two counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a felony;
- Crime of violence against a pregnant person;
- Illegal possession of a firearm.
He faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Authorities say Moore shot Middleton shortly after the couple was captured on surveillance video entering their Silver Spring apartment on the evening of Oct. 9, 2022.
Video shows Moore leaving the building alone approximately an hour later.
Middleton's decomposing body and the remains of her unborn child were discovered in the apartment two months later on Dec. 9, 2022, when police executed a no-knock warrant for Moore in connection to a separate murder.
An autopsy confirmed Middleton had been shot seven times.
Investigators also discovered Moore had conducted chilling internet searches during a month-long trip across the country after the murder, including “How long does it take for a dead body to smell?” and “How to move a dead body without being seen.”
Moore was arrested inside the apartment upon his return.
Police found the firearm used in Middleton’s murder and the fatal shooting of a Dash In convenience store clerk two months earlier, for which Moore is also awaiting sentencing in February 2025.
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