Dad Wanted a Baby Boy. When He Learned His Wife Was Pregnant with a 3rd Girl, He Did the Unthinkable

A New York man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and then stabbing their two daughters was sentenced for his crimes this week.

Drew Garnier, 33, will serve 30 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release after entering a guilty plea to charges of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of first-degree assault in a deal with prosecutors.

There was just one victim impact statement read in court prior to the sentencing, according to a summary of the proceedings released by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office — and it came from Garnier’s former father-in-law, who said that his daughter Samantha was killed by her husband because “he wanted a boy.”

Samantha, who was just 29-years-old and five months pregnant when her husband brutally stabbed her to death, had learned at the time that the couple’s third child would be also be a girl.

Garnier’s father-in-law said in court that his two granddaughters now have a new father after he adopted the girls.

“I am their father now,” he said. “I will protect them.”

Police arrested Garnier on Sept. 5, 2024 after responding to a report of a domestic dispute at his home in Centerville, according to the New York State Police.

The NYSP said that all three females inside the home had multiple stab wounds, and received treatment from state troopers while waiting for EMTs to arrive on the scene.

All three females were then airlifted to hospitals due to the severity of their injuries, said NYSP in a release at the time.

Samantha was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival, while the two girls managed to pull through in the end.

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The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office acknowledged the fact that the trauma those two young girls endured is part of the reason Garnier was able to make a deal which helped secure him a far more lenient sentence.

District Attorney Shawn J. Smith said at the sentencing that while he did not feel the plea deal between prosecutors and Garnier was ideal, he wanted to spare the defendant’s two daughters from having the endure a lengthy trial and instead allow them to “focus on recovering from their ordeal.”

The judge prohibited Garnier from contact with his daughters through 2056, though the girls can petition the court to amend that order should they ever wish to speak with their father.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.