PHOENIX — A man has been sentenced for murdering a young mother and abandoning her baby in a car in 2018.
On Friday, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that 27-year-old Antwaun Ware was sentenced to natural life in prison for murdering Jasmine Dunbar and endangerment for leaving the baby in the car.
Ware pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the 2018 killing.
In March of 2018, a couple was driving near 83rd Avenue and Camelback Road when they found a 7-month-old baby in a car seat on the side of the road. Inside the car, they also found Dunbar's ID and other personal items.
Detectives were able to track down Dunbar's family. They told Phoenix police officers that on the same day the baby was found, Ware was with Dunbar to take a paternity test.
Detectives retraced Ware's whereabouts and found he drove to a field near 107th Avenue and Camelback Road where he killed Dunbar, according to officials.
“This defendant’s callous actions have no place in our community. Thanks to the hard work of my prosecutors, he will live the rest of his life behind bars,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “To the people who rescued this baby, I say ‘thank you.’ This child is alive today because of your heroic actions.”
