PHOENIX — A domestic abuser was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend three years ago, authorities announced Friday.

Jermaine Houston, 40, fatally shot his girlfriend as she was trying to leave their apartment near 27th and Glendale avenues in August 2022, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO).

Racal Monique Ramos, 36, was packing her belongings and speaking with a domestic violence shelter to find a safe place to stay when he shot her multiple times, prosecutors said.

Houston was convicted of one count of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of misconduct involving weapons.

Houston ran off after the shooting, but police found him hiding nearby in the backyard of a home and took him into cus

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