JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The New Orleans man who shot and killed his wife as she tried to get away in the couple's car with their four young children inside was sentenced to 80 years in prison, officials announced Monday.
According to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's office, Ray Farria, 33, pleaded guilty Monday to fatally shooting his wife, 30-year-old Dominique Farria, outside a Harvey subdivision after an argument on July 24, 2018.
As Dominique was attempting to drive away from the Stonebridge subdivision with their children, aged 1-11, Ray Farria climbed onto the car to try and stop her. Armed with a gun, he fired into the car through the front windshield, striking his wife in the neck, sheriff's officials detailed in court.
While none of the children were hurt, Ms. Farria died later at the hospital. Ray Farria then threw the gun away in a nearby wooded area before he was caught and charged with second-degree murder.
On Monday, he admitted to shooting his wife in court and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, obstruction of justice, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a habitual offender. He was charged to 80 years in prison, officials said.
The couple was visiting family in Harvey when the shooting happened. Family and friends of Ms. Farria said the couple of 12 years were high school sweethearts at John F. Kennedy High in New Orleans.
"Her kids don't have their mom, her mom doesn't have her daughter, her sisters don't have their sister, everybody's at a loss, nobody wins here," Janel Blackwell, Dominique's friend of 15 years, said.
Blackwell said she never thought something like this would happen to Dominique.
"I can just imagine how scared she was.That's what's playing in my head," Blackwell said.
In Orleans Parish Criminal District Court in 2013, Ray Farria pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary as a first-time offender, receiving three years of probation and being fined. But he was twice arrested for failing to pay the required fines on time, failed drug tests, and was arrested in New Orleans on a count of domestic abuse battery, resulting in his probation being extended until Aug. 20 of last year.
He was also arrested in July 2015 after a domestic dispute. According to an arrest warrant obtained by WWL-TV, Ray Farria grabbed Dominique by the neck and strangled her after she went to get his phone. According to the arrest warrant, Ray "was apparently upset at the length of time" it took her to bring him his phone and he speculated that she went through it.
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