The man who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing twin teenage girls in their Lemon Grove home in 2020 was sentenced Friday to life without parole.
During an emotional sentencing, loved ones of 15-year-old Leah and Caira Christopher read impact statements on how the girls' murders changed their lives. Joann Hoyt, the twins' mother, was the first to speak at the podium and recalled the warmth and joy her daughters brought onto other people.
"They lifted people up. They cared wholeheartedly for people," Hoyt said with tears in her eyes. "They loved Jesus. They loved life. They had so many plans for the future; plans with friends that will never be fulfilled. Milestones that will never be crossed over."
Lemon Grove Double Shooting
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The Christopher twins, who were students and basketball players at Helix High School, were shot to death on April 15, 2020 when Dwayne Edward Groves Jr. went to the family's home and opened fire on the girls, injuring two others during the violent process.
Hoyt was at the home along with two younger children and another adult at the time of the shooting.
"I grabbed the little kids and ran out the back because I knew I couldn't do anything for my daughters," she said at the time.
Hoyt said Groves was an ex-boyfriend whom she had broken up with roughly a week and a half prior to the shooting. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) confirmed the gunman had a previous relationship with the victims’ mother.
Following the shooting, Groves was found in the backyard of a home about three houses away from where the murders took place. SDSO said he initially refused to cooperate but eventually surrendered.
