North Texas man who hid bodies in garage after murdering wife and stepdaughter receives life sentence
A Wise County man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the murders of his wife and her 11-year-old daughter, whose bodies were discarded and left in a garage for months in 2023.
According to Wise County District Attorney James Stainton, 47-year-old Robert A. Morairity's sentencing took place in the 271st District Court.
Family members provided impact statements following the plea deal. Stainton noted the case was particularly challenging for Wise County first responders and residents, expressing hope that the family can now begin to find closure.
On June 12, 2023, the brother-in-law of Morairity's wife, 42-year-old Kimberly Kellam, called the police, reporting that no one had seen her or her child for several months. He informed the 911 operator that his sister-in-law was living off County Road 4371 with Morairity near Decatur and mentioned the couple had three children.
Deputies went to their home and found it abandoned. No one answered when they knocked on the door, and a walk around the property didn't reveal any clues to the victim's whereabouts.
The next day, a Wise County Sheriff's Office investigator, Texas Rangers, and several Dallas police officers met with Morairity. Two children, a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old, were with him during the interview.
Initially, Morairity claimed he hadn't seen Kellam and her daughter in six months. Eventually, he admitted they were dead and that their remains were in the garage of the home deputies had checked out.
The children were released to Child Protective Services, and Morairity voluntarily returned to Wise County with a WCSO investigator and a Texas Ranger. They went to the home, where he pointed out where the bodies were.
Morairity was arrested and charged with tampering with a corpse, murder, and capital murder.
