A Baytown man was sentenced to 46 years in prison by a Harris County jury for the murder of his ex-wife in 2016, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Domestic violence can take a lot of different forms, but too often we see it escalate into murder,” Ogg said. “There is absolutely no reason this man’s ex-wife and the mother of his children should be dead.”

Allen Dale Edwards, 44, was sentenced to prison by a jury late Tuesday after seven days of trial. He was convicted of murder for fatally shooting 29-year-old Keyanna Cherrell Gardiner on March 19, 2016.

Edwards and Gardiner, who had two children together, were divorced and had been living apart for more than three years. The two had an acrimonious relationship that included disputes over child custody.

On the night Gardiner was killed, she was riding in a car with a female friend at about 3 a.m. and was asleep in the passenger seat. Her friend drove them to Edwards’s home and apparently threw an aerosol can to break a window at the house.

After hearing the window break, Edwards told his mother to call the police. Instead of waiting for the police, he grabbed his handgun and got into his vehicle, then chased the two women who were in a white SUV.

The two cars were on Highway 146 heading toward the Fred Hartman Bridge when, while driving, Edwards shot at the SUV through the glass of his driver’s side window, leaving a bullet hole in the tinted window.

When both cars got to the southbound flyover, Edwards pulled in front of the white SUV and stopped, causing the SUV to crash into the rear of his car.

Edwards then got out of his car and fired at least once more into the SUV. One of the bullets he fired stuck Gardiner in the chest, killing her. Edwards then walked to the driver’s side and punched the woman driving the car. She was transported to the hospital and had to undergo reconstructive surgery.

A Harris County Precinct 8 Constable’s Office deputy was in the vicinity and detained Edwards. The Baytown Police Department investigated and filed charges.

Assistant District Attorney Ashlea Sheridan and ADA Adam Brodrick, who are chiefs in the DA’s trial bureau, prosecuted Edwards.

“He took matters into his own hands,” Sheridan said. “He admitted that he was chasing them down, and he should have just let law enforcement handle it.”

Edwards must serve at least half of the prison sentence before being eligible for parole.

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