On a December afternoon in 2017, Lesli Kelly, a 49-year-old female, was at her longtime job as a chef at the Penn State Beaver campus in Monaca, Pennsylvania. She had taken a break and was in the parking lot near the food services building. Her ex-husband, 52-year-old William Kelly, had arranged to meet her there, ostensibly to drop off Christmas presents for their three children.
However, the exchange took a tragic turn when William brandished a handgun and fired multiple rounds at Lesli, killing her. Shortly after, he turned the weapon on himself, ending his own life in a murder-suicide. The incident, which unfolded in view of at least one witness, sent shockwaves through the campus community but did not involve any students.
The motive behind the tragic event appeared to be rooted in ongoing domestic strife and disputes over child support. The couple had recently divorced, and friends and family of Lesli revealed that she had been living in fear of her ex-husband in the weeks leading up to her death. While she had lodged several harassment complaints against him with campus police, she had not obtained a formal protection from abuse order. The day after the shooting, the former couple had been scheduled to appear in court for a hearing concerning child support payments.
Lesli Kelly was remembered as a warm and beloved figure on the Penn State Beaver campus, where she had worked for over 25 years. Students and colleagues described her as someone who was passionate about her work and deeply cared for the people around her, often taking the time to connect with students and make them feel like family. Her fiancé, who was also a coworker, witnessed the horrific event from a window. Following her death, the community mourned the loss of a cherished member, and a memorial scholarship was established in her honor at the university. Since William Kelly died by suicide immediately after killing Lesli, there were no arrests made or charges filed in connection with her death.
