John Jefferson
Left: Antwaun Ware (MCSO). Right: Jasmine Dunbar (PPD).
A 27-year-old man in Arizona will spend the remainder of his days behind bars for killing his ex-girlfriend while they were on their way to take a paternity test, then setting her on fire and abandoning the baby on the side of the road. A county judge on Friday ordered Antwaun T. Ware to spend the rest of his “natural life” in a state correctional facility for the 2018 slaying of Jasmine Rain Dunbar, authorities announced.
Prior to being sentenced, Ware pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony child endangerment, court records show.
“This defendant’s callous actions have no place in our community. Thanks to the hard work of my prosecutors, he will live the rest of his life behind bars,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement following the sentencing hearing. “To the people who rescued this baby, I say ‘thank you.’ This child is alive today because of your heroic actions.”
According to a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, a couple on the evening of March 6, 2018, were driving in the area near 83rd Avenue and Camelback Road when they spotted a child’s car seat on the side of the road. The two stopped to inspect and found a 7-month-old baby in the seat, an ID belonging to Dunbar and several other items. The couple called 911 and police responded to the scene.
“After tracking down Ms. Dunbar’s family members, Phoenix Police learned that on the same day the baby was found at the side of the road, Ware was on his way with Ms. Dunbar to take a paternity test,” the release states. “Phoenix Police detectives retraced Ware’s steps and discovered he drove to a field near 107th Avenue and Camelback Road where he killed Ms. Dunbar and set her body on fire.”
A probable cause statement obtained Law&Crime provided additional details about the circumstances of Dunbar’s murder.
According to the document, Ware and Dunbar were last seen at about 9 p.m. on March 6, when Dunbar was taking Ware to get a paternity test. Police received a call about Dunbar’s baby being found at about 10 p.m., the document states. Around the child were a “single adult shoe, a diaper bag, and a backpack containing a wallet and identification belonging to Jasmine Dunbar.
Police spoke to Dunbar’s roommate, who said she had gone out earlier that evening with an ex-boyfriend, whom she identified as Ware, to take a paternity test.
Police located Ware at his home at about 3:30 a.m. on March 7, and he confessed to her murder.
“[He] admitted he had a physical altercation with Jasmine and punched her a number of times with his fist,” the document states. “He claimed that he left her in a field in the area of 107th Avenue and Camelback. He claimed she was still alive then. He then drove away with [the child] still in his backseat. He said that he panicked and dropped [the child] off in the area of [redacted] because he saw people nearby and believed they would find her and take care of her.”
That’s when Ware said he returned to the field where he claimed to have left Dunbar alive and decided to try and get rid of the body.
“He put a piece of paper on the body and then poured gasoline on her, the document states. “He then set it afire with a cigarette. He watched as Jasmine burned and the fire put itself out.”
He then went back to the area where he had left the baby and saw multiple police cars in the area, which is when he “took a back way” to get to his then-current girlfriend’s home.
Dunbar’s body was soon located and Ware was placed under arrest.
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