A 20-year-old woman who was about nine months pregnant was found dead at a High Point apartment just after midnight.

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WEBVTT HER AND HER UNBORN CHILD. BILL O’NEIL JOINS US LIVE FROM HIGH POINT. REPORTER FAMILIES OF BOTH THE : VICTIM MORE IN COURT TODAY. IT WAS A VERY INVASIVE -- IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL DAY. HE CAME TO COURT WEARING A RED JUMPSUIT AND SHACKLED. IT WAS DEAD SILENCE AS THE JUDGE TOLD MR. HAYS HE FACES THE POSSIBILITY OF DEATH OR LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE FOR THE CHARGE OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER. HAYES IS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TO DEATH HIS LIVE-IN GIRLFRIEND TONTORIA YORK AND THEIR UNBORN BABY. NEW YORK WAS ALSO 20 YEARS OLD AND REPORTEDLY NINE MONTHS PREGNANT WHEN SHE DIED. THE VICTIMS MOTHER SAMANTHA BURGESS TELLS WXII 12 NEWS. -- 12 NEWS HER DAUGHTER WAS A BEAUTIFUL SMART GIRL AND A LOVING MOTHER OF TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. POLICE SAY HAYES THE LIVE-IN BOYFRIEND CALLED 911 AROUND MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY TO REPORT INTRUDERS IN THEIR HOME AT THE DEEP RIVER POINT APARTMENTS. POLICE NEVER FOUND ANY EVIDENCE OF INTRUDERS AND ARRESTED HAYES FOR THE MURDER OF TONTORIA YORK. WILLIAM HAYES REMAINS IN THE COUNTY JAIL WI

Advertisement Boyfriend charged in 20-year-old pregnant mother's murder could face death penalty or life in prison A 20-year-old woman who was about nine months pregnant was found dead at a High Point apartment just after midnight. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The boyfriend charged in a 20-year-old pregnant woman's murder could face the death penalty in connection to his alleged crime. Tontoria York, a mother of a 2-year-old girl, was about nine months pregnant when she was found dead at a High Point apartment just after 12 a.m. Thursday. High Point police were called to the Deep River Point Apartments, 3993-2F Clubhouse Court after a dispatcher received a call from William Hayes III who said his pregnant girlfriend had been shot was dead by intruders. Hayes told dispatchers two people ran from the apartment when he arrived home, but he was unable to provide a description of either person.High Point officers, with the assistance of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, used K-9s to attempt to locate suspects or evidence, but were unsuccessful.As a result of the preliminary investigation, detectives determined that the homicide was domestic-related and charged Hayes with first-degree murder.“She was a beautiful girl. She was a smart girl. She was a loving girl. She was a loving mother," said Samantha Burgess, York's mother."She didn’t bother anybody. She kept to herself. She didn’t have many friends but the ones she did have, everybody loved her. Even if they met her one time, everybody loved her."She just loved being a mother."York was nine months pregnant. She also had a two-year-old daughter.“With me losing her, if it weren’t for God and my husband and my family, I don’t know where I would be right now,” Samantha Burgess said.“Just keep me in your prayers. Everyone. Just keep me in your prayers. Me and my family." “She was young, had her whole life ahead of her. It’s just kind of hard to process. Just hard to process. No one should have to go through anything like that. It just ain’t right,” said Lance Burgess, Tontoria York's father. Police confirmed that Hayes was the original 911 caller and York's live-in boyfriend.Hayes is being held at the Guilford County (High Point) without bail. He made his first appearance in court Friday, where a judge said he could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty.Lance Burgess says Hayes III never showed any signs of being capable of what he's accused of.“Every time I’ve seen him he was always laughing. He had respect but I guess he had another side. Around me never acted like he would do something like that around me,” Lance Burgess said.However, family members say all they want now is justice for York.Firefighters spent the day searching a nearby pond for evidence in connection to the murder. It's unclear at this time if crews uncovered any evidence during that search.Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call Crimestoppers of High Point at 336-889-4000.