Woman gets life sentence for fatal 2023 shooting during custody exchange on Christmas Day
The woman accused of fatally shooting another woman and wounding the father of one of her children during a custody exchange in the parking lot of Gainesville Walgreens on Christmas Day 2023 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Amanda Marie Janzen, 39, entered a plea of no contest and was adjudicated guilty on eight counts, including second-degree murder, for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Anna Haslup Terrill.
Judge Denise R. Ferrero also found Janzen guilty for attempted homicide, fleeing police and five counts of child neglect. As part of her sentence Janzen is to have no contact with her own children until approved by a licensed therapist and/or court approval.
A restitution hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 2.
Local news: FHP: 1 dead, 3 critical following head-on collision in northwest Alachua County
According to the initial Gainesville Police Department report, Janzen drove from her home in Alachua to the Walgreens at 3909 NW 13th St. to turn over her then-11-month-old child to the child's father, Thomas Lepread Williams, as part of a custody agreement ordered on Dec. 20, 2023.
Janzen and the man had been in an intimate relationship since September 2021 and, shortly after the birth of the child, she had accused him of having an affair with a woman, the report said.
On the day of the shooting, Janzen arrived at the Walgreens with five children in her vehicle just before 2 p.m., according to the report, and waited with a "cocked" firearm for Williams to arrive.
After the vehicle with Williams arrived, Janzen exited her vehicle and walked around to the driver's side door where she fatally shot Terrill three times, the report said. She then went back around to the passenger's side and confronted Williams. He jumped back into the vehicle and was shot by Janzen three times, the report said.
"You made this happen!" Janzen reportedly said while shooting at him.
She then fled the scene north on Northwest 13th Street with the five children still in the vehicle. A nearby Gainesville Police Department officer heard the gunshots and witnessed the fleeing vehicle.
Janzen proceeded to lead officers from GPD, the Alachua Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office on 13-mile chase that reached speeds up to 100 mph. After finally coming to a stop, Janzen discarded the loaded firearm from the vehicle. During her arrest, officers found two additional loaded magazines on her, the report said.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video, the report said.
— This article includes information previously published in The Sun.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Woman gets life for fatal 2023 shooting on Christmas Day in Florida
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