Man Convicted Of Queer Atlanta Woman’s Gruesome Rape And Murder Given Four Life Sentences

A man accused of the brutal assault and murder of an Atlanta LGBT activist was found guilty of murder, rape, aggravated assault, and aggravated sodomy on Monday.

Donte Lamar Wyatt broke into 37-year-old Catherine Montoya’s home in East Atlanta and killed her in April 2015. DeKalb County authorities have said Wyatt raped the victim and strangled her with a scarf. This was after stabbing another woman in a Waffle House and fleeing from police.

The jury found him guilty after just half-an-hour of deliberation. West was given four life sentences, plus an additional 41 years in prison. The first three life sentences are without parole.

“This was a horrific, unspeakable crime, and he deserves nothing less than to spend the rest of his life in prison,” District Attorney Robert James said. “We want to assure them that he will never, ever be able to do this to anyone else.”

After killing her, he stole Montoya’s car, crashed it and broke into another house. Police were finally able to apprehend him after a four-hour standoff that included tear gas. (While incarcerated, West also reportedly strangled his cellmate and scraped out his eyeballs.)

A spokesperson from Seeds of Love, a local LGBT group, called Montoya “a shining star in our movement, a tireless champion for immigrant rights, for AAPI women’s rights, for racial and LGBTQ justice.”

“She spoke truth to power with a smile and laughter,” they added, “and lovingly challenged us all to be our better selves.”