The man accused of killing his longtime girlfriend and shooting two of her family members days before the new year appeared before a judge in New Britain on Tuesday.
Antoine Harris was arraigned on murder and assault charges for the shooting death of Sabrina Finch on Saturday night inside the New Britain apartment the couple shared.
He’s also accused of shooting Finch’s mother and brother, who is paralyzed.
“I still have so much life and so did she, and he took that away from us,” said Kali Thaxton, Finch’s eldest daughter.
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Thaxton said Saturday’s altercation started over a misplaced pair of shoes.
“He was high on drugs at the time and couldn’t find a pair of shoes, so he went into my uncle’s room, shot my uncle, then shot my grandmother, then shot my mom in front of my grandmother,” she said. “[My grandmother] is still in shock. She watched it all. She had to hop out of a window to go and get help after she got shot.”
According to an arrest warrant, a witness told police that over the last week, Harris had been arguing with Finch over "random things," and the night of the crime, had started an argument over her doing his laundry.
A second witness stated that Harris was arguing with Finch about "shoes that he couldn't find," and that's when shots were fired.
Thaxton said her uncle is now in critical condition, but her grandmother is recovering. Finch leaves behind four children, and she was her brother’s primary caregiver.
“She would do anything for anyone,” Thaxton said. “She would give the shoes off her feet to anyone, the clothes off her back. She had the biggest heart no matter what. She had this spunky personality. She was really goofy. She was just a beautiful human being who was taken too soon.”
She said her mother dated Harris on and off for the last 10 years, and she always feared this might happen someday.
“I always told her, if she didn’t leave, he was going to kill her,” Thaxton said. “Everyone told her to leave him. I told her numerous times to leave him. He was a drug addict, he sold drugs, did drugs, he was in and out of prison for the last ten years. He was a bad man.”
In court Tuesday, Harris’ public defender said he was diagnosed with PTSD. A family member told NBC Connecticut that he struggled mentally, and was being taken advantage of.
His family refused to make a comment on-camera outside of court.
Harris’ bond was set at $3 million. He’ll be back in court on Jan. 16.
