In the early morning hours of June 20, 2014, the life of 31-year-old Louis Michael Tammaro II was tragically cut short in Crossville, Tennessee. A Caucasian male known for his skills as a commercial equipment mechanic and his love for the outdoors, Tammaro was discovered in the backyard of his former girlfriend's home on Ackia Drive in Lake Tansi with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The home belonged to Stephanie Cole, a 36-year-old special education teacher with whom Tammaro had been in a relationship for several years before a recent breakup.
Deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the residence around 4:45 a.m. after a neighbor called 911 to report a shooting. Upon their arrival, they found Tammaro's body and took Cole into custody at the scene. The investigation that followed, led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, revealed that Tammaro had gone to Cole's home to retrieve some of his personal belongings following their recent separation, though there were indications the two were attempting to reconcile.
Stephanie Cole was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. During the investigation, it was revealed that she had used a neighbor's gun to commit the crime. Cole later admitted to the shooting and, in March 2016, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. In court, she offered an apology to Tammaro's family and the community. Her defense had sought a mental health evaluation, but it did not prove any significant mental health defect.
Following her guilty plea, Stephanie Cole was sentenced to life in prison. Under Tennessee law, this sentence requires her to serve at least 51 years before becoming eligible for parole. The case concluded with Cole taking responsibility for her actions, bringing a legal end to a case that deeply affected the Crossville community and the family and friends of Louis Tammaro, who remembered him as a generous and beloved individual.
