Man sentenced to 40 years confinement for killing his girlfriend

A 36-year-old was sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing his girlfriend, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney's office.

Daniel Dewayne Shackleford, 36, pleaded guilty this morning to murdering his girlfriend, 34-year-old Aletha Ann Gonzalez. On February 24, 2019, officers responded to a call of a woman who was unconscious in the 2100 block of Birch Street in Port Arthur. The woman, Gonzalez, was found on the floor of a bedroom in the house with injuries to her head and neck. It was her 34th birthday. Officers questioned Shackleford who claimed he came home and found her on the floor with a television on her head after he had been fishing all day.

Officers questioned several people including Shackleford. Shackleford’s story began to unravel under questioning by detectives in the case. Detectives also found witnesses that described Shackleford as being abusive toward Gonzalez. Shackleford finally admitted that he struck Gonzalez over an argument earlier in the evening. He admitted to lying about fishing that day. This case was investigated by the Port Arthur Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mike Laird.

Prosecutor Mike Laird stated, “This is a horrible ending to what was a domestic dispute. This is why we treat domestic crimes so serious. The Port Arthur Police Department did an excellent job of investigating and unravelling Shackleford’s story.”