A Georgia man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for shooting his then-estranged wife seven times after she told him their marriage was beyond repair and asked for a divorce.
Cherokee Superior Court Judge David Cannon, Jr. convicted Ronald Richard Goss, 57, on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his now ex-wife Tina Davis on February 11, 2018 in Ball Ground, Georgia had.
Goss pleaded guilty Jan. 26 to burglary, attempted arson, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and nine counts of family violence that aggravated battery, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Goss told Davis before the shooting that “if he couldn’t have her, nobody could,” according to the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Goss visited Davis the day before the shooting to try unsuccessfully to salvage their troubled marriage.
He returned around 5 a.m. the next day and entered the house through the garage door after turning off the power. Prosecutors said Goss knew his wife of nearly 10 years would be on her feet at that hour, according to WMAZ.
Tina Davis in the hospital
Once in the master bedroom, he shot Davis in the chest, left forearm, left thumb, left shoulder, right hip and head, “causing internal injuries as well as a spinal injury that left her numb from the waist down.” said prosecutors.
During the shooting, “a bullet ricocheted off and hit Goss in the face,” they added
After the shooting, Goss used his cell phone to document the scene, taking photos of Davis and himself, and then called 911. He told the dispatcher that he shot his wife and himself and was waiting for help to arrive.
“He did everything in his power to kill Tina Davis. It is only by the grace of God that she is still here with us,” Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in her statement.
“While his plan to kill Tina was unsuccessful, in less than five minutes Mr. Goss ended Tina’s life as she once knew it,” Wallace added, causing tremendous physical and mental suffering, and I am in awe of Tina’s strength and Determination to reclaim what this defendant took from her. Hopefully, in that case, the resolution will offer comfort and closure to her and her family.”
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Davis survived but is still recovering from the shooting and has undergone more than 15 surgeries and dental procedures over the past four years to repair the damage. She is able to walk again after more than 450 hours of physical and occupational therapy.
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But Davis, once an avid runner, is no longer able to pursue that passion.
Davis said in her victim’s testimony that Goss took away the “best years of my life.”
“What hurts the most are the things he took from my future. I would have been a babysitter for my grandchildren. I would have been funny Nana. These should be the best years of my life. I should check off my bucket list,” she said, according to prosecutors. “But thanks to him, I’m spending my days in therapy just to get back some of what he took. I might not have died that day, but he gave me that.” Took life as if I had.”
Prosecutors said Goss intended to do more damage.
He had doused her car, which was parked in the attached garage, with petrol and planned to set it on fire but apparently never got around to it.
Davis asked the judge to issue a harsh sentence and not be swayed by her survival.
“A physically, mentally and spiritually weaker person would not have survived,” Davis said. “There will be no parole for me. Please let him live with the consequences of his choices for the rest of his life.”
Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence plus 30 years, while the defense sought a 20-year sentence with the possibility of parole.
