A young man in the American state of New York has been given a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend after she refused his demands to procure an abortion.

Under the terms of his sentence, handed down by the state Supreme Court, Christian Ferdinand, 22, is to spend 25 years-to-life behind bars for the brutal slaying two years ago of 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes.

According to prosecutors, Ferdinand and Shaniesha first met via Facebook before later commencing a sexual relationship. The girl subsequently informed Forbes that she was pregnant, and refused his demand that she seek a termination. After that refusal, Ferdinand smothered the girl and burned her remains before throwing them into the sea in the hope the water would destroy any forensic evidence. He later met up with a previous girlfriend and spent the day with her.

When Shaniesha’s body subsequently washed ashore, police quickly tracked Ferdinand in connection with the crime and located the scene of the murder at an apartment owned by his cousin. Further investigation revealed that Ferdinand had declared to a friend after the murder that “it didn’t deserve to live” in relation to the baby he believed he had killed along with the girl.  However, adding an extra layer of tragedy to events, an autopsy on Shaniesha as part of the murder investigation revealed that the girl was not in fact pregnant. Ferdinand subsequently confessed his actions to police, hoping that by doing so he could secure a non-custodial sentence.

“He had a problem that needed solving, he didn’t want to pay child support, and Shaniesha got in the way,” prosecutor Robert Walsh informed the jury during the trial.