A man sentenced to life in prison for brutally killing his girlfriend has disclosed the disturbing motive behind the near beheading. In 2024, police responded to reports of a foul odor emanating from a neighboring apartment. Upon investigation, they found the body of 52-year-old Genna Rae LaCombe wrapped in blankets and left to decompose on the porch. Shane Levi Cole Roberts, 46, was apprehended hiding in a closet within the apartment.
A coroner’s report detailed that LaCombe had suffered numerous stab wounds, including one that almost decapitated her. Roberts, who pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide, received an 85-year prison sentence. During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors presented evidence of Roberts’ chilling motive for the crime, which included graphic photos on his phone showing the victim’s body in a bathtub days before her remains were discovered.
Roberts later confessed to his mother from jail, admitting to the killing, citing that LaCombe had pushed him too far. The couple had been in a relationship for approximately two years before the tragic incident in Billings, Montana. A forensic psychologist’s evaluation revealed Roberts struggled with substance abuse and major depressive disorder, though it did not excuse his actions.
Despite a proposed 70-year sentence agreement between prosecutors and Roberts’ defense, Judge Colette Davies tacked on an additional 15 years. She condemned Roberts, stating that his actions were far from love but rather an abomination. LaCombe, survived by two children, was described in her obituary as a devoted mother who excelled in arts and crafts, cooking, and had a love for 80s music.
In a separate case, a grieving mother vows to keep her son’s killer, Stuart Diamond, behind bars after he gruesomely dismembered her teen son and refused to reveal the location of his head. Despite being deemed too dangerous for release from prison in 1999, Diamond’s potential parole release is under review, sparking the determined mother to fight for justice and ensure he remains incarcerated. Jean Hartley, 74, expressed the profound impact of her son’s murder on her family and her unwavering commitment to prevent Diamond’s freedom.