SILVER SPRING, MD – A Maryland man has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of his pregnant girlfriend and a convenience store clerk, crimes that occurred just months apart in 2022.
Torrey Damien Moore, 34, received a sentence of three life terms plus an additional 80 years in prison on Friday. The victims of Moore’s violence were his 26-year-old girlfriend, Denise Middleton, her unborn child, and store clerk Ayalew Wondimu.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Moore entered a Dash In convenience store on December 8, despite previously being banned. Surveillance footage showed him taking an iced tea to the counter before launching an unprovoked attack on the 61-year-old clerk, Wondimu. Moore threw items from the counter, prompting Wondimu to defend himself with a metal pole. Moore responded by drawing a handgun and shooting Wondimu at close range. After Wondimu collapsed, Moore continued to shoot him multiple times before escaping the scene.
A no-knock raid on Moore’s apartment the following day revealed a chilling discovery. Underneath a blanket, police found the decomposing body of Middleton, who was eight and a half months pregnant with a baby boy they planned to name Ezekiel. She had been shot seven times, and investigators estimated she had been dead for nearly two months.
The investigation uncovered footage showing Moore and Middleton entering an elevator together on October 9, 2022, where they appeared to engage in a physical altercation. Authorities believe that Moore shot Middleton after the couple entered their apartment.
In a shocking timeline, Moore left the apartment and “traveled the country” for about a month, reportedly making disturbing online searches, including how to dispose of a body. He returned to his apartment in early November and lived with Middleton’s body for weeks before Wondimu’s murder.
Motives for the killings remain unclear, leaving family members desperate for answers. At the sentencing, Denise’s father, Dennis Middleton, expressed frustration, stating, “I’d really like to hear why.”
Moore’s defense attorney argued that his client suffered from schizophrenia, suggesting his mental illness severely impaired his grasp on reality. This was evidenced by Moore living in the apartment with Middleton’s body during the interim period.
A jury convicted Moore of Wondimu’s murder in May 2024, and he was subsequently found guilty in November of killing Middleton and her unborn child.
The sentencing ended on an emotional note as Wondimu’s widow addressed the court, sharing her profound sense of loss without her husband.