On a tragic Saturday in May of 2019, the life of 62-year-old Mary Jo Kornick of Freeport, Pennsylvania, was cut short in a horrifying act of violence. The female victim, a mother and grandmother, was fatally shot on May 11, 2019, by her 72-year-old ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Domek III of Pittsburgh.
The series of events unfolded as Mary was leaving her job as a personal care aide at Rosebrook Personal Care Home in Sarver. While driving on State Route 356, her car was involved in an accident. As witnesses stopped to offer assistance, Domek arrived at the scene, pulled his vehicle alongside hers, and fired a single, fatal shot from a. 40 caliber gun.
Following the shooting, Mary was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. A few hours later, law enforcement located Nicholas Domek III in his car at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigations into the murder-suicide revealed a history of domestic abuse. Mary had previously obtained a Protection from Abuse order against Domek. Months prior to her death, in December, Domek had been arrested for attempting to kidnap her at gunpoint from her workplace. The family expressed their heartbreak and a feeling that the justice system had failed to protect her, stating that she was terrified of him.
