A Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole following his conviction for fatally shooting a work colleague over an affair with his wife.
Damian DeRousha, 44, was accused of shooting Donald Geno, 31, at point blank range in February 2021 at a Volusia County vehicle repair facility in Daytona Beach, where they were employed. DeRousha's wife, Shauna DeRousha, also worked at the same facility.
On Thursday, a jury of seven women and five men took about two hours to find Damian guilty of first-degree premeditated murder.
Damian Told Cops He 'Lost His Mind' After Finding Out About Affair
Damian learned about Geno and Shauna's alleged affair after he planted a recording device in his spouse's car and confronted Geno about it on Feb. 4, 2021. It was the third time she had cheated on him, as reported by The Daytona Beach News Journal.
DeRousha emptied his 9mm handgun of all eight rounds, with Geno sustaining 14 wounds, such as two gunshots to the back and one to the face, authorities said. Hartling testified to hearing the first two gunshots, and seeing four more shots. After the shooting, Damian told police he "lost his mind," after having found out earlier the same morning that his wife was having an affair with Geno.
Damian Claimed Self-Defense
In his defense, Damian testified that he was no longer angry by the time he encountered Geno at the facility and told him to stop the affair. He alleged it was Geno who became aggressive and threw a wrench at him before taking a swing at him.
"I'm a grown-ass man. I'm going to do whatever the hell I want to do with who I want, including your wife,' and then he took a swing at me," DeRousha testified. He claimed he did not remember taking out his gun or firing it."It's just one giant blank spot," he said. He said that he already had his firearm on him because he took it everywhere.
But prosecutors confronted him with witness testimony from two other co-workers that Geno did not appear argumentative. For example, Volusia County mechanic Kenneth Hartling said that Damian and Geno appeared to just be talking.
'Wait Till I See Geno and Talk to His A*s'
During trial, the prosecution also brought up Damian's texts to his wife, including one that read "Wait till I see Geno and talk to his ass" and a message in which he stated that he knew where the man lived.
Shauna reportedly acknowledged during testimony that she began the affair with Geno in January 2021 but it was over by the time of the shooting. It was revealed during the trial that Damian and Shauna, who have two children, were still together and telling each other on jailhouse phone calls that they love one another.
