Boyfriend Convicted For Strangling, Killing Girlfriend

COBB COUNTY, GA — A Marietta man who fatally strangled his girlfriend will spend the rest of his life in prison, Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady said.

Christopher Gene Scarboro, now 29, was convicted Wednesday morning for strangling and killing his girlfriend, Xi-Anna Graham, on Aug. 23, 2018. She was 24.

Scarboro and Graham were arguing in the predawn hours that day at Graham's home on Bonnie Dell Drive in Marietta. In a fit of rage, Scarboro strangled Graham until she stopped breathing, and he fled the scene, per a news release from the Cobb DA's office.

Shortly after, Scarboro anonymously called the police requesting a welfare check on Graham, but refused to say what happened. Marietta police officers found Graham lying on her bedroom floor without a pulse. They attempted lifesaving measures, but she was dead.

The Cobb County Medical Examiner later determined she died by asphyxia due to strangulation. Graham's four minor children were also in the home at the time of the murder.

One child recalled hearing banging noises earlier in the night, and then, referring to the defendant and the child’s mother, said in an interview at SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, “he always, he does bad things to her … and now he … killed her."

Graham's father also spoke during Wednesday's hearing.

“I held her in my arms and watched her take her first breath, and he took her breath away,” he told the court.

Scarboro pleaded guilty to malice murder and cruelty to children in the third degree. He was sentenced to life in prison, and has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 23, 2018 — the day of the crime.

“Domestic abusers are among the most heinous offenders. They abuse, manipulate, and traumatize those who love them the most. For Xi-Anna, the abuse turned lethal and left her four children motherless. I hope that this sentence, and perhaps the timing of it — as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day — will help her family and children begin to heal,” said Stephanie Green, senior assistant district attorney, who prosecuted the case.

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or use its live chat feature on the website here.

If you live in Cobb County, LiveSAFE Resources can help victims break free from domestic violence. Their 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 770-427-3390.