A Nederland man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the shooting death of his girlfriend and the mother of his child.

Travis Wade Smith, 39, pleaded guilty to the May 25 murder of Hollie Crenshaw, 36, in Judge John Stevens’ courtroom in November, Jefferson County District Attorney Patrick Knauth said in a previous news story. Smith made the plea in exchange for a 40-year plea sentence.

Smith must serve at least half his sentence before he is eligible for parole, according to information from court personnel.

The couple were in a custody dispute over their son and Smith had been served papers regarding the issue the day before the shooting.

Crenshaw was shot to death at about 5:51 a.m. May 25 outside Around the Clock Child Development Center, 224 S. Ninth St. Crenshaw, an employee at the day care, had arrived early to open the facility and no children were at the facility at the time of the shooting.

As police arrived on scene of the shooting, Smith arrived at the Nederland Police station where “he surrendered himself and declined  to make further statements on advise of legal counsel,” Nederland Police Chief Darrell Bush said in a story that ran in the May 26 edition of The Port Arthur News.

Smith was identified as the boyfriend of the deceased and the father of one of Crenshaw’s two children.

Besides working at the day care, Crenshaw also worked as a bus driver with Nederland ISD.