Pregnant Mom of 5 Killed by Another Woman Who Was Pregnant with the Same Man's Baby

Justina Wallace was holding her toddler when she was shot in July 2023

Justina Wallace
Justina Wallace. Credit :

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NEED TO KNOW

  • Aaniyah Nowden was charged with three counts of capital murder in the July 7, 2023, shooting death of 36-year-old Justina Wallace
  • Wallace was a mother of five. When she was shot, she was holding the toddler fathered by the same man who fathered the killer's child
  • Nowden told the jury she acted in self-defense

A pregnant Alabama mother has been sentenced for the 2023 killing of another pregnant woman.

Aaniyah Nowden shot 36-year-old Justina Wallace on July 7, 2023 in Birmingham, Ala., the Birmingham Police Department said at the time.

Nowden was convicted of capital murder and sentenced in a Jefferson County, Ala., court last week, according to AL.com and WBRC.

Wallace's unborn baby did not survive.

According to AL.com, Nowden was pregnant when she murdered Wallace, who was also pregnant at the time of the shooting.

Nowden was pregnant with the child of a man who is the father of Wallace's toddler, who Wallace was holding when she was shot, the outlet reported.

On the day of the killing, the jury heard, Wallace had gone to Nowden's home, and got into an argument with Nowden and the father involved, per AL.com. Nowden shot Wallace in what she told the court was an act of self-defense.

In addition to the toddler, two of Wallace's five children were in the vicinity of the shooting at the time.

Aaniyah Nowden mugshot
Aaniyah Nowden.

Jefferson County Jail

The shooting was reportedly caught on cell phone video, AL.com reported.

“This defendant shot and killed a pregnant woman who was carrying nothing but her baby...in her arms,” Deputy District Attorney Jason Wilson said, according to the outlet. “Justina had no weapon, no gun, she wasn’t attacking anybody.”

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Nowden was initially charged with three counts of capital murder, and the jury dismissed two of the charges, AL.com reported.

Nowden has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to AL.com and WBRC.

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    1. Comment by Cheryl.

      I'm glad the shooter was convicted and sentenced to prison for life without the possibility of parole. I'm not making any excuses for the shooter, but maybe the woman who was killed should have stayed at home in the first place. Even though she wasn't armed, it's almost as if she was looking for a fight with someone, either the man or the other woman.

    2. Comment by Cathy.

      My thoughts are this: Why go after the other woman? A lot of times women don't know that their man is seeing another woman. Before committing to any man, seriously check them out. If they don't tell you about their family, friends and of course their parents, put that thinking cap on and wear it for a while until you learn about this man. Don't allow yourself to get pregnant until you have a committment and you know enough about him before bringing a child in the world. OK, I'm old fashioned, but I would never have a baby with a man unless the ring is on the finger and a wedding date is set and/or I'm just going to wait until we are married. There are too many children being born withouth fathers. Some women say "I can be both Mom & Dad"! NO!!! Those children grow up and start looking for their dad's. I've watche tons of episodes of grown men and woman looking for their dad's. Some never find them because their mothers were sowing their wild oats and don't remember. Girls need to stop going after the other woman because that other woman probably didn't know that fool was seeing someone else. That is a major issue because this fool of a man played both of them and he probably has other women out there. Women, do your due diligence when it comes to dating and find out everything you need to know before bringing a child into the world. I'm over 65 and I can say this: When I was in high school, there was a kid in my 11th grade class that already had 7 children from 7 different girls and two of those girls were best friends. We looked at those girls as stupid, silly and ridiculous. The parents had to get together so that those kids knew who their siblings were and agreed to raise them together.

    3. Comment by Mary.

      The only reason she's spending this much time in prison is due to skin color, and probably financial status. If she'd been able to get a good lawyer, she may have gotten off with manslaughter. This wasn't premeditated, the woman showed up at her house to argue with the baby daddy, and brought her kids along. I would like to see the video.

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