‘Our family received justice:’ Karli Short’s family issues statement as convicted killer sentenced
By Yazmin Rodriguez
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PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — Isaac Smith was sentenced to two life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of Karli Short and her unborn child, as her family delivered emotional victim impact statements in court.
Brandon Short, Karli’s father, refused to address Smith directly, instead referring to him as a “murdering coward.”
“Having to sit in the same room with him is devastating. It’s unimaginable,” said Karli’s aunt, Phylicia Cook.
Karli Short, 26, was found shot and killed in McKeesport in 2021. She was five months pregnant at the time. Her family reiterated how excited she had been to embrace motherhood.
“That was her joy; that was her moment. You know what I mean, and it was everything to me,” Cook said.
Smith was convicted Friday of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Karli Short and her unborn child.
“Today, our family received justice. Today, the man who killed Karli and our unborn child received two life sentences without the possibility of parole,” said Brandon Short.
During the trial, DNA evidence revealed that Smith was not the father of Karli Short’s unborn baby, a fact Brandon Short described as a blessing amid the tragedy.
“My grandchild was not murdered by her father. Her father did not kill her. A murdering coward did,” Brandon Short said.
In the wake of the tragedy, Brandon Short founded the Karli Short Better Tomorrow Foundation, which provides financial support to college students affected by gun violence. He said this is how his daughter will be remembered.
“Karli will not be defined by the man who took her life. She will be defined by who she was and the work we continue to do in her name,” he said.
“That work does not stop today. Today, that work begins again with more urgency,” he added.
To date, the foundation has raised over $1 million, awarded nine scholarships, and endowed seven.
Attorneys for Smith did not comment on the sentencing but said they are exploring the next steps in the case.
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