There’s something terribly tragic about unrequited love.
A Georgia man, who Cobb County courts call a repeat offender, will spend two decades in prison after a vengeful confrontation with an ex-girlfriend.
Richard Lebarron Hightower, 45, of Decatur sent dozens of harassing messages last March to a woman who broke up with him. He then confronted her in her vehicle at the Georgian Arms apartments in Marietta, ramming both ends of her car.
Hightower then rammed another occupied vehicle twice, then hit a third vehicle that was empty, Cobb County District Attorney spokeswoman Kim Isaza said in a statement.
“This defendant was about control and power, and when she dared break up with him, he turned to rage,” prosecutor Julianna Peterson told jurors. “All along, his intent was to harass, intimidate and threaten.”
On Friday, a Cobb County jury found Hightower guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property in the second degree and one count of misdemeanor duty upon striking an unattended vehicle, according to the District Attorney’s office.
On top of the unrequited love, the judge sentenced Hightower to 25 years, with 20 years to serve in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by five years on probation.
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