In the winter of 2021, a tragedy unfolded in Knoxville, Tennessee, forever altering the lives of a young family. Nikita Monique Kennedy Nunez, a 29-year-old African American woman, was fatally shot on January 31, 2021. Known for her outgoing personality and dedication to her four children, Nikita was pursuing a career in the dental field and was remembered by her family as someone who treated everyone with respect.
On that Sunday evening, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to
a shooting at The Vista at Summit Hill apartment complex off Lula Powell Drive. Upon arrival, they found Nikita inside a vehicle, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was transported to the UT Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased. Witnesses at the scene reported that Nikita had been shot multiple times by her husband, Horace Andrew Tyler Nunez, during an argument that occurred in front of her children.
Immediately following the shooting, Horace Nunez fled the scene in a grey pickup truck, prompting a multi-state law enforcement effort to locate him. Investigative work determined that he had traveled north into Kentucky. The Knoxville Police Department coordinated with the Kentucky State Police and the Lexington Police Department, who were able to locate and apprehend him near Frankfort after a pursuit.
Horace Nunez was extradited back to Knox County, Tennessee, to face charges for his wife's murder. He was charged with first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. In March 2024, a Knox County jury found Horace Nunez guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and four counts of reckless endangerment. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for the killing of his wife.
