Charlotte Trewhella, an 80-year-old White woman, died on May 19, 2025, after a shooting in east Phoenix, Arizona. Before the violence that ended her life, Charlotte had shared decades of family life with Mark Trewhella. Their obituary described a life in which they raised two daughters, opened their home to extended family and friends, and worked together professionally.
Charlotte spent years leading volunteer efforts for Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, helping generate significant donations, and later worked alongside Mark as the manager of his dental practice. After retirement, the couple moved to Scottsdale, where their life included time with family and friends, golf, evenings on the patio, regular Friday-night outings, and a shared love of nature and National Parks.
That life came to a sudden end on the afternoon of May 19. At approximately 3:20 p.m., Phoenix police were sent to a reported shooting in the vicinity of 43rd Street and Camelback Road, with the official police advisory listing the incident location as the 4900 block of North 43rd Street. Other local reporting placed the scene around 42nd Way and Mariposa Street, near 44th Street and Camelback Road. When officers arrived, they found Charlotte and Mark Trewhella suffering from gunshot wounds. Charlotte had sustained at least one gunshot wound and could not be saved; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Mark was still alive when emergency personnel reached him and was taken to a nearby hospital, but he later died from his injuries.
The deaths quickly became a homicide investigation. Phoenix Police homicide detectives took control of the scene and examined the physical evidence surrounding the shooting. Investigators determined during their preliminary inquiry that Mark’s gunshot injury appeared to have been self-inflicted, while Charlotte’s injuries did not. Based on that distinction and additional evidence found at the scene, police concluded that the evidence indicated Mark shot Charlotte and then turned the gun on himself. Authorities consequently described the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide. Police did not publicly explain what happened immediately before the gunfire or identify a motive, and detectives said additional circumstances surrounding the incident remained under investigation.
Mark Trewhella was the suspect identified by Phoenix Police in Charlotte’s killing. Police said they did not believe there were any outstanding suspects, indicating that investigators were not searching for another person in connection with the shooting. Because Mark died after being transported to the hospital, there was no arrest or jail booking in Charlotte’s death and no opportunity for prosecutors to bring the homicide case against him through criminal court. Available reporting does not identify any other suspect as having been arrested or charged, and there is no reported trial or conviction arising from Charlotte’s killing. The case therefore ended without a conventional prosecution: the person investigators believed killed Charlotte was also dead by the time detectives established the apparent sequence of events.
