A White Oak man is serving three consecutive life sentences and 80 years in prison after being convicted last week of the murder of his pregnant girlfriend and a convenience store clerk that occurred in 2022.
The additional 80 years in prison will run concurrently with the three life sentences.
A jury found 34-year-old Torrey Damien Moore guilty in May 2024 of first-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, and illegal possession of a firearm for the shooting death of 61-year-old Ayalew Wondimu.
A different jury convicted Moore last November on two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Denise Middleton, and for the death of her unborn, viable fetus.
Middleton was eight and a half months pregnant at the time of her death.
In addition to those two counts, the jury found Moore guilty on two counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, one count of a crime of violence against a pregnant person, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.
“This marked the first time in the history of Montgomery County that we had a conviction for the murder of a viable fetus,” according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office:
On May 16, 2024, a jury found Moore guilty of first-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, and illegal possession of a firearm for the shooting death of 61-year-old Ayalew Wondimu.
On November 22, 2024, a different jury convicted Moore on two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Denise Middleton, and for the death of her unborn, viable fetus. Middleton was eight and a half months pregnant at the time of her death. In addition to those two counts, the jury found Moore guilty on two counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, one count of crime of violence against a pregnant person, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.
This marked the first time in the history of Montgomery County that we had a conviction for the murder of a viable fetus.
Ayalew Wondimu was a clerk in the Dash In convenience store along the 11000 block of New Hampshire Ave in Silver Spring. Management had previously banned Torrey Moore from the convenience store, but on December 8, 2022, Moore entered the store and became involved in an altercation with Wondimu. Moore produced a handgun and shot Wondimu, killing him. While police were searching for Moore in connection with Wondimu’s murder, they executed a no-knock search warrant on December 9, 2022, on Moore’s apartment in 11000 block of Oak Leaf Drive in Silver Spring. Members of the Montgomery County Police SWAT team found Moore inside his apartment with a gun. The bodies of Denise Middleton and her unborn fetus were found in another room. They were in an advanced state of decomposition. An autopsy revealed Middleton had been shot seven times. The investigation determined the gun found in Moore’s possession was the weapon used in all three murders.
The investigation by Montgomery County Police detectives revealed that Moore and Middleton entered the apartment complex along Oak Leaf Drive around 7 p.m. on October 9, 2022. They were captured on surveillance video in the lobby and then taking the elevator up to their apartment. It was the last time Middleton was seen alive. It is believed Moore shot Middleton in the minutes that followed. Approximately one hour later, Moore was captured on surveillance video in the elevator leaving the crime scene alone. Cell phone data showed Moore traveled the country for approximately 26 days. His search engine history during that time included the terms, “How long does it take for a dead body to smell?” and “How to move a dead body without being seen.” Moore then returned to the apartment, living there with the decomposing bodies until his arrest on December 9, 2024.
Assistant State’s Attorneys James Dietrich and Jodie Mount prosecuted this case.
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