In a recent court ruling, a 39-year-old man from Iowa has been handed consecutive life sentences after being found guilty of the fatal shooting of his girlfriend and her friend a few years ago.

The families of the two victims, 42-year-old Tamica Allison and 41-year-old Andrea Anderson, pleaded with the convicted individual, Matthew Dee Buford III, to provide an explanation for the double-homicide he committed in Waterloo, Iowa, back in February 2020.

During the trial that spanned a month, prosecutors refrained from presenting a motive but managed to secure a conviction on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of flight to avoid prosecution against Buford.

According to authorities, Buford had been drinking with Allison and Anderson, with Anderson visiting their shared residence. It was during this gathering that he allegedly shot both women.

Testifying during the prosecution, Allison’s teenage daughter, who was present in the house at the time of the incident, recalled her mother’s final words before two gunshots rang out. Buford subsequently left the scene, dropping off Allison’s daughter and her younger brother at different homes before fleeing the state.

Responding officers from the Waterloo Police Department discovered the lifeless bodies of the two women, each having suffered fatal gunshot wounds.

After a brief period on the run, Buford surrendered in Peoria, Illinois on February 12, 2020, and was later transferred back to Waterloo on February 22, 2020.