Adam James Gorski (Courtroom screenshot from Waco CBS affiliate KWTX; Mugshot from Waco Police Department)
A Texas man was sentenced to life in prison for the shotgun killings of his wife and mother inside an apartment in Waco last year.
Adam James Gorski pleaded guilty on Thursday to capital murder charges in the deaths of Kimberly Cheney Gorski, 39, and Teresa Vise, 61, and was immediately sentenced.
Waco CBS affiliate KWTX, in the courthouse for the hearing, reported that McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara was Kimberly Gorski’s godfather and a close friend of her late father, a former deputy U.S. Marshal and private investigator.
“I was at the hospital when she was born,” he told the station. “I watched her grow up. Her father, Leon Cheney, was one of my best friends, and to have this low-down, despicable coward do this to two beautiful, innocent ladies is just unforgivable. It is just so sad for everybody involved, all the families. You know, probably life without parole was too good for him, but I understand why it was done. Someday, he will get his just reward. If he doesn’t get forgiveness, more than likely he is going to be burning in hell.”
Gayle Cheney, Kimberly Gorski’s mother, addressed the defendant in court.
“Kimberly deserved so much better than you,” she said, according to the station.
RaeAnn Crawford, one of Adam Gorski’s sisters, said nothing would heal the pain before she addressed the defendant.
“But I don’t hate you, and I don’t feel anger toward you,” she said. “I forgive you, but not for you. I forgive you for myself and for Mom.”
Russ Hunt, Adam Gorski’s attorney, said his client has mental health issues and said he had an expert prepared to testify if the case had gone to trial, the news station reported.
“I had a lot of communication with Adam Gorski and feel badly for the situation,” Hunt said. “Kimberly’s daddy, Leon Cheney, was one of my closest friends, and I couldn’t help but think of him every time I talked to Gorski. This whole thing tore up a family. And this was the very best resolution we could manage.”
The drama unfolded on March 14, 2022, when officers responded to a 911 call about shots fired at an apartment, the Waco Police Department said in a news release. Police said Adam Gorski made the initial 911 call himself, saying he had taken a lot of medication and shot both women, KWTX reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. He claimed he still had the shotgun but needed to speak to an officer and would put it away “after he knows they are real,” the station reported.
Police said they had to shoot the door with a shotgun to get in. Once inside, police found the women’s lifeless bodies. Gorski was arrested without incident, and the shotgun was seized, authorities said.
Law&Crime’s Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.
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