A man who almost decapitated his girlfriend has disclosed the chilling motive behind the brutal murder as he receives a life sentence.
In 2024, neighbors reported an unusual odor emanating from a nearby apartment, prompting police to investigate. Upon arrival, officers found the body of 52-year-old Genna Rae LaCombe on the porch, wrapped in blankets, towels, and a shower curtain. Shane Levi Cole Roberts was found hiding in a closet with a dog inside the apartment and was apprehended.
A coroner determined that LaCombe had sustained multiple stab wounds, including one that nearly severed her head. Roberts, 46, was handed an 85-year prison term for the crime after admitting to deliberate homicide.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors presented significant evidence, including Roberts’ callous reasoning for the heinous act. Police discovered disturbing photos on Roberts’ phone showing his girlfriend’s bloodied body in a bathtub, dated approximately nine days before her remains were found. Additionally, authorities recovered two bloodied knives, a hatchet, and a hammer.
Subsequently, Roberts confessed to his mother from jail about killing LaCombe, attributing it to her pushing him too far. The couple had been in a relationship for about two years and shared a residence in Billings, Montana.
A forensic psychologist diagnosed Roberts with substance abuse and major depressive disorder but stated that he was still capable of understanding his actions at the time of the offense.
Despite an agreed 70-year prison sentence between prosecutors and Roberts’ defense attorney, Judge Colette Davies imposed an additional 15 years, emphasizing to Roberts that his actions were far from love but rather an abomination.
Genna LaCombe, survived by two children, was remembered for her love of arts and crafts, cooking, and 80s music. Meanwhile, a mother fights to keep her son’s killer behind bars, as he remains silent about the location of her son’s head, despite being deemed too dangerous for release.