‘Choked the S--- Out of Her’: New York Man Choked His Wife to Death, Then Drove Her Lifeless Body to Hospital
June 30 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
A man in New York was given the maximum sentence after he was found guilty of choking his wife to death with a belt in 2021, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On Jan. 15, 2021, Georlasia B. Evans, 30, was killed outside her home in Troy. Police learned of the killing when her body was left in a vehicle outside the entrance to Samaritan Hospital, as Front Page Detectives reported.
Her husband, 37-year-old Taquan Evans, insisted someone else killed his wife, but his defense was undone by DNA found on the belt used to kill Georlasia and a text message in which he admitted he “choked the s--- out of her,” the Times Union reported.
On May 24, Evans, a one-time basketball standout at La Salle Institute, was found guilty of second-degree murder after an eight-day trial.
On June 30, Judge Jennifer Sober sentenced Evans to 25 years to life in connection with his wife’s murder, officials said.
District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly said, "Our focus has always been on justice for Georlasia and her family, and we hope this sentence brings them some comfort,” according to the Times Union.
At the trial, Chief Assistant District Attorney Matt Hauf argued Evans used the cloth belt to strangle his wife.
However, Evans claimed he found his wife’s body after someone else choked her. He then drove her lifeless body to the hospital followed by his mother, who had no idea how her daughter-in-law died.
Evans’ attorney, Eric Galarneau, argued someone other than his client carried out the killing, but evidence showed Evans’ DNA inside of the belt and on ligature marks on the victim’s body, authorities said.
And, of course, the text message Evans sent from his wife’s cell phone to his daughter admitting that he “choked the s--- out of her,” in reference to his wife.