Southfield woman sentenced to life for killing pregnant U-M Dearborn student athlete
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Four years after 20-year-old KaBria Arnold was murdered while leaving work, her killer was sentenced to life in prison.
Family members took the stand on Friday to address the convicted shooter, Gabrielle Brantley of Southfield, for gunning down KaBria while she was pregnant with her first child.
"KaBria will be deeply missed – her spirit, her energy," the victim's older sister, Tiffany Arnold, said. "Not a day goes by that we all do not think about her or miss her presence."
Allegedly stemming from a love triangle, Brantley, 28, was involved with KaBria's ex-boyfriend when she shot and killed the Detroit resident and her unborn baby in November 2019.
28-year-old Gabrielle Brantley (left) and 20-year-old KaBria Arnold (right).
"We miss our nephew who was supposed to be here," Tiffany added. "My son doesn't have his cousin to play with."
The shooting took place after KaBria left her shift at a Detroit Meijer on Grand River near McNichols. Her body was found with multiple gun wounds at Pilgrim and Bentler Street.
The youngest of four sisters, KaBria was a softball player at the University of Michigan Dearborn and had plans to become a registered nurse.
Tiffany also read a statement from their father during the sentencing.
"We loved being a part of KaBria's world and expected for her to have a full and happy life," the statement read. "But now the closest we can get to her is just to visit her grave every day."
KaBria Arnold (left) with her family.
During a 2020 hearing, a witness testified that he saw a woman who resembled Brantley shoot another – not once, but three separate times.
Brantley was found guilty in late 2023.
During the sentencing on Friday, Brantley received life without parole for first degree murder and 15 years for assault on a pregnant woman, intentionally causing miscarriage/stillbirth.
"No punishment that you receive will ever compare to the pain and torture that you have inflicted upon us," the father's statement continued. "There is no real justice – only incarceration for a sick individual monster."
When the convicted murderer took the stand, she said she did not kill KaBria and claimed they were "friends."
"Kabria and I – we hung out a lot. We went bowling, skating, to the movies, out to eat," Brantley said. "I am a lot of things, but a murderer I am not."
However, a judge and jury found her guilty.
"As far as this court is concerned, the jury got it right, and you are going to get every day that you deserve," said Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Shannon Walker.