Man sentenced to prison for killing girlfriend, a mother of four, in Lantana Super 8 motel

WEST PALM BEACH — Weeks before what would have been her 33rd birthday, Denecia Seward's killer pleaded guilty to murder.

Police say Andre Ramirez shot his girlfriend once in the neck at a Lantana motel on July 26, 2020, then fled, leaving her body, wallet and six spent shell casings behind. He evaded police for more than a year before his arrest in 2021.

Facing life in prison, Ramirez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for a fraction of the penalty. Circuit Judge Howard Coates sentenced the 32-year-old man to 20 years on Thursday, Jan. 11, with credit for the 2½ years he has spent in jail since his arrest.

Police have not discussed a motive for the shooting. They issued a warrant for Ramirez's arrest two days after Seward's death at the Super 8 on Hypoluxo Road east of Interstate 95, prompting friends and associates to demand on social media that he turn himself in.

Denecia Seward: Family mourns mother of four found fatally shot in Lantana motel room

Ramirez's father told detectives that his son had called him at home in Boca Raton to apologize for letting his family down. His father said he encouraged Ramirez to turn himself in but said his son, who at one point lived in the Lake Worth Beach area, would not tell him where he was.

Days after the shooting, his license plate was picked up on tag readers in Mississippi and Georgia. It's unclear from Ramirez's arrest report how Lantana police pinpointed Ramirez's location more than one year later.

Friends and family of Seward, who had two daughters and two sons, said Seward aspired to be a professional dancer and gymnast.

"She was the type of person to give the shirt off her back and would go above and beyond to make everyone laugh," a relative wrote online. "Her family was not prepared for such a brutal tragedy."

At Ramirez's plea conference, Assistant State Attorney Marci Rex said Seward's family was notified about the resolution of the case but did not attend the hearing.

Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Years after mother of four found dead in motel, gunman pleads guilty