Man Shoots His Girlfriend, Her 5-Year-Old Son To Death, Buries Them In His Backyard

A Michigan man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for shooting his girlfriend and her 5-year-old son to death, and then burying their bodies in the backyard of his home.

Douglas Ross Hill, 58, had pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. He has been ordered to spend the next 30 to 50 years in prison by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge James S. Jamo for the murders of his 34-year-old girlfriend Danielle Steiner and her 5-year-old son Aubrey Hall in July 2018, Law & Crime reported.

The incident came to light after the decomposing bodies of Steiner and Hall were discovered by a construction worker approximately one year after they were buried by Hill in the backyard of his home located in the 800 block of Loa Street in Lansing.

When questioned by investigating officers, Hill reportedly said that Steiner and her son had been living in the house next door for several years. Hill claimed that Steiner and Hall moved in with him in 2018 after he began a romantic relationship with Steiner, MLive reported.

Hill initially told investigators that the last time he saw Steiner and Hall was on Father’s Day of 2018 when Steiner got into an argument with him, packed her bags, grabbed Hall, and left the house in a vehicle driven by someone Hill did not know.

However, later, during a follow-up interview by investigating officers at the Monroe County Jail, Hill reportedly admitted to the murders and stated that he snapped, strangled and shot both Steiner and Hall to death and then buried them in the backyard of their home.

According to Hill's attorney, Sanford Schulman, his client was struggling with mental health issues, as well as alcohol and substance abuse problems, at the time he killed Steiner and Hall.

Meanwhile, Anthony Hall, Hall's father, addressed the court during the sentencing proceeding and criticized saying that he believed the sentence was too lenient for the man who killed his family.

“My son was only 5 years old when you brutally shot and strangled him like he wasn’t shit,” Hall reportedly told Hill. “You are pure evil. I hope every day in prison is a living hell. You took their lives away and I pray prison takes yours.”