ORANGE, Texas — Justice was served to a 25-year-old Vinton, Louisiana man on Friday at the Orange County courthouse.
A jury found Manka Melson, 25, guilty of capital murder in the deaths of a young couple in Orange.
Now, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility for parole.
In January 2021, Melson gunned down 18-year old Aaliyah Gradnigo and her boyfriend 23-year old Thalamus Livings at a home in Orange.
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"Justice is served, my son, I know he's with the Lord. I know he's with the Lord, but justice has been served,” said Falacia Minix-Livings, the mother of Thalamus Livings.
Aaliyah Gradnigo's mother said it's comforting to know the man who killed her daughter will spend the rest of his life in prison, but it has also served as a harsh reminder that her daughter is still gone.
"For us, he still has it better than Aaliyah and TJ," Amanda Gradnigo said.
Melson will spend the rest of his life in prison for the capital murder conviction.
It doesn't compare with the loss for mothers Amanda Gradnigo and Felicia Minix-Livings.
"I think the reality sets in that she's not coming back. That's the hardest part, yeah," Amanda Gradnigo said.
A weeklong trial reviewed surveillance video, phone records and location data, along with testimony from close to 30 witnesses.
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"We had absolutely overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt in this case and that’s all due to the Orange Police Department and their detectives," said Assistant District Attorney Krispen Walker.
This case is one of the largest in Walker’s 20-year career.
"We were able to put everything together and make it easy for the jury to find the defendant guilty," Walker said.
Her case pointed to Melson's obsession over Aaliyah Gradnigo, having sent her thousands of text messages before committing the murder.
"The motive is, was pure, selfish, jealousy. And this is absolutely senseless," Walker said.
Other important evidence was DNA showing where Melson climbed into the Gradnigo family home through a kitchen window before shooting the couple.
It was a moment that Amanda Gradnigo had to revisit during witness testimony.
"You know you close your eyes and see the images… You can't black it out, it's there, so yeah," Amanda Gradnigo said.
She said although the trial brings some closure, the real healing process is just getting started.
"It's almost like this is done with and now it’s just a matter of trying to have some kind of peace,” she said. “We talk about her every day. We miss her, it’s just everything about it. I think its knowing that its life without her forever, that’s the hardest part."