In the pre-dawn hours of February 2, 2023, the life of 20-year-old Shaniyah Monet Rodriguez was tragically cut short in a place she called home. A resident of the Brannon Hill condominium community in Clarkston, Georgia, Shaniyah was discovered unresponsive with a gunshot wound to her head after reports of gunfire shattered the morning quiet. At eight months pregnant, her impending motherhood was a beacon of hope, a future that was violently extinguished.
First responders rushed her to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed an emergency C-section in a desperate attempt to save her unborn child. Two days later, Shaniyah succumbed to her injuries, leaving her newborn daughter to fight for her own life.
The investigation into Shaniyah's death quickly focused on a person of interest, her 22-year-old boyfriend, Diamonte Oiy'Shawn Haithcoats. Evidence gathered at the scene, including seven rifle shell casings, and surveillance footage of a dark-colored SUV leaving the complex around the time of the shooting, began to paint a grim picture. Authorities later located the stolen Hyundai Palisade and, through Bluetooth data from Shaniyah's phone that had connected to the vehicle just before the 911 call, they were able to link Haithcoats to the crime. His own phone records further placed him at the scene, leaving the condominium complex immediately after the shooting. Despite his attempts to downplay their relationship and deny paternity of the child, the evidence against him mounted. In the days leading up to her death, Shaniyah had confided in a friend about the deterioration of her relationship with Haithcoats and her growing fear for her safety.
Less than a month after Shaniyah's death, on February 27, 2023, Diamonte Haithcoats was arrested without incident outside a barbershop in Decatur. He was charged with malice murder in the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend. While Haithcoats was in custody, Shaniyah's infant daughter, named Milliani, continued to fight for her life. Born prematurely under the most traumatic of circumstances, Milliani faced significant health challenges due to injuries sustained during the violent act that claimed her mother. Tragically, after four months in critical condition, Milliani passed away on June 19, 2023, in the arms of her grandmother.
In May 2025, Diamonte Haithcoats faced a jury for his crimes. The trial brought to light the details of that fateful February morning and the evidence that inexorably linked him to the deaths of both Shaniyah and their daughter. After a week-long trial and a deliberation of about 90 minutes, the jury found Haithcoats guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault – Family Violence, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. He was subsequently sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years, bringing a measure of justice to a family shattered by unimaginable loss.
