<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1cmNYI_0jeU430f00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1cmNYI_0jeU430f00" width="700" height="394" >PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – The parents of Ayana Belton are breathing a sigh of relief after her boyfriend was found guilty of first-degree murder for stabbing her to death in 2020.Robert Belton, who is the father of eight, said his family received closure for Ayana’s death. He remembered Ayana as smart, humorous and very humble.According to prosecutors, Anthony Foxx, who was 19 years old at the time, stabbed 16-year-old Ayana more than 120 times on March 26, 2020, then went to her father’s home -- covered in blood -- to tell him that she was dead.“I say, ‘What about Ayana?’ She’s down there. She’s been shot. She’s dead. She’s been stabbed. No, she’s been shot,” Belton told New4JAX recounting the moment Foxx led him to his daughter’s lifeless body.When her father saw Ayana, he tried to perform CPR on her, but it was too late.Robert said he’ll never forget that night, and although it took two years for this case to go to trial, he feels like Ayana got the justice she deserves.“I think what she had gotten from the trial is a good sentence. But it didn’t bring our daughter back, of course not. The grief is still there and I’ve learned to accept this as a part of healing,” Belton said.Witnesses described that Foxx and his girlfriend had been arguing earlier in the day. Another witness saw Foxx standing over her body immediately after she was killed, court records show.According to the State Attorney’s Office, crucial physical evidence in the case included Foxx’s DNA, which was found under the 16-year-old’s fingernails, and threatening Facebook messages from Foxx to his girlfriend three days before her death, which were found on her phone.Belton said he is not at the point of forgiving Foxx, but he hopes to get there eventually. The father of right also said that his daughter’s death inspired him to start giving back.“I started giving my love out to the nursing home now, and I give bible study activities,” Belton said.Belton said leading up to the trial, he learned from investigators that his daughter’s relationship with Foxx was sometimes “chaotic” with lots of arguments. This is a fact he wishes he knew before her death because he feels like he could have prevented it.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Father of 16-year-old killed by boyfriend learned during trial she was stabbed over 120 times

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – The parents of Ayana Belton are breathing a sigh of relief after her boyfriend was found guilty of first-degree murder for stabbing her to death in 2020. Robert Belton, who is the father of eight, said his family received closure for Ayana’s death. He remembered...