A Virginia father will serve 30 years in prison after he murdered his baby daughter over a gaming headset.
La’Shaun Quintae Holloway, 27, was convicted of second degree felony murder and child abuse, according to a Monday news release published by the City of Virginia Beach.
Judge Afshin Farashahi sentenced Holloway to 50 years but suspended 20, hence the 30-year punishment.
Holloway attacked his two-month-old daughter days before Christmas, on Dec. 19, 2020.
He’d been watching the baby when family members overheard him start yelling and cursing at her. He was reportedly upset about an Xbox headset.
Suddenly, the girl fell silent.
The family found the infant unresponsive and took her to the hospital, where she died days later.
A Virginia man was sentenced in the “brutal” killing of a 2-month-old baby while on his Xbox. https://t.co/UDHFH9LlVr pic.twitter.com/YMqvLW2sT0
— Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) October 9, 2025
“The injuries the baby sustained include 26 rib fractures in various stages of healing, bruising on her chest wall, a fractured clavicle, a skull fracture, bruising to her skull around her eyes, and an extensive brain bleed. Medical professionals determined the injuries were the result of abusive head trauma,” the news release read.
Holloway was convicted Aug. 26, 2024, after a three-day jury trial.
For crimes like this, Virginia sentencing guidelines usually recommend a maximum punishment of 23 years and eight months.
But this case was different.
“In arguing for this high sentence, the Commonwealth referenced the significant injuries, age of the baby, and the brutality of the murder. Judge Farashahi agreed that those factors warranted a sentence above the guidelines,” the release read.
Holloway had been convicted of child abuse and neglect in the past.
He’d also been convicted of eluding police, a hit-and-run, and a DUI, among other crimes.
While Holloway’s case was an extreme example of gaming rage, it highlights a real issue.
One in four gamers have destroyed their gear during bouts of rage, according to an Opera GX survey published in 2022 by PR Newswire.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of gamers get angry when they are losing, and a “majority” have had their day ruined by a game.
In response, Opera even released a gaming controller for angry players.
“Anger Controllers are our tongue-in-cheek way of highlighting the very real issue of rage and anger management amongst gamers, which impacts many individuals including those they play with,” Maciej Kocemba, head of Opera GX, said.
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