Do you know who murdered August Dichiara? In the early morning hours of October 16, 2015, the quiet of a home in Louisville, Kentucky's Portland neighborhood was shattered by gunfire. Inside, 55-year-old August John Dichiara Jr., a male resident of the house on the 2800 block of Northwestern Parkway, was fatally wounded. He was not the only victim of the tragic event. Also killed was 28-year-old Jessica Rae Shadowens, who had been staying at the residence.
Both individuals died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
A third person, who was also in the home at the time of the shooting, was wounded but survived. This individual, whose identity has been withheld for their safety, was transported to University Hospital with the expectation of recovery. The survivor would later provide a crucial piece of information to the Louisville Metro Police Department investigators, stating that they knew the identity of the shooter. The alleged perpetrator was described as a man whom Jessica Shadowens knew and had been in contact with via text message on the night of the murders.
Despite the eyewitness account and what police described as 'fairly good leads,' the investigation into the double homicide of August Dichiara and Jessica Rae Shadowens proved to be complex. As time passed, no arrests were made in the case. Law enforcement officials noted the distinction between a witness's certainty and the evidence required for a successful prosecution in a court of law.
Years after the shooting, the case remains an unsolved homicide. The families of August Dichiara and Jessica Rae Shadowens were left to mourn their losses without the closure of seeing a suspect brought to justice. Information provided by the surviving victim did not lead to an immediate arrest, and the case grew cold. The Louisville Metro Police Department has encouraged anyone with information regarding the murders to come forward, but as of now, the person responsible for the deaths of August Dichiara and Jessica Rae Shadowens has not been publicly identified or apprehended.
