In a tragic incident on March 24, 2014, Maria Nunez McDaniel, a 29-year-old woman, was fatally shot inside Julia's Hair Salon in the Crossroads Shopping Center near the Paulding-Cobb county line in Georgia. A native of the Dominican Republic, Maria was the victim of a targeted attack carried out by her husband.
The perpetrator, 45-year-old Robert Steven McDaniel, entered the bustling salon around noon and opened fire, killing his wife at the scene.
The act was not random, as confirmed by investigators who stated that he specifically sought out his wife. Following the shooting, McDaniel walked out of the salon and into the parking lot where he surrendered to Paulding and Cobb sheriff's deputies who happened to be having lunch at a nearby restaurant. He was taken into custody without incident.
Robert Steven McDaniel was arrested and charged with murder. He was subsequently booked into the Paulding County jail and held without bond. In addition to the murder of his wife, he was also indicted for an assault on another individual present at the salon, Julia Olmos. On November 4, 2014, McDaniel entered a negotiated guilty plea to charges of malice murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a murder, and aggravated stalking. For these crimes, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
