Robert Hood, 34, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree fetal homicide for the 2019 killing of his former partner, Kayla Smith, and her unborn child.

Hood was arrested by Louisville Metro Police in February 2020 in connection with Smith’s murder. State Attorney Thomas Wine confirmed that Hood pleaded guilty on October 5, 2021, to charges related to the deaths of Smith and her fetus.

Before the murder on November 27, 2019, Hood and Smith had exchanged messages discussing ways to induce an abortion. Smith was in her third trimester at the time.

Evidence showed that Hood was outside Smith’s apartment early that morning with a bottle of pills he claimed would induce the abortion. Surveillance footage later showed Smith leaving her home to meet someone. A gunshot was heard, and several hours later, Smith was found with a gunshot wound to the back of her head and a bottle of pills in her hand.

Wine noted that the bottle of pills contained Hood’s DNA, and his GPS location placed him outside Smith’s home at the same time the gunshot was captured on surveillance footage. The gunshot also resulted in the death of Smith’s fetus.

Hood was sentenced to 20 years for first-degree murder and 20 years for first-degree fetal homicide. These sentences will be served concurrently, meaning he will spend a total of 20 years in prison.