Amaya Penneywell-Robinson was the child who, in her family’s words, made their house a home. Described by her mother as a happy, talented, and beautiful soul, the 21-year-old female was building a promising future. She was an ambitious student, just two weeks from graduating with her certification as a dental hygienist. To support herself, she worked overnight shifts for a security company, balancing her studies with her job.
Her family remembers her as a dedicated and hardworking young woman, focused on her professional goals.
On the evening of Thursday, October 22, 2026, Amaya’s plans were cut tragically short. After leaving a dental office, she went home, took a shower, and told her mother, Tiara Tilley-Davis, that she was going to her boyfriend’s house to pick up the rest of her belongings. She planned to have a meal with him and then head to her night shift. "My baby came... told me she was going to go get the remainder of her things, eat... and she’ll see me in the morning," her mother recalled. Amaya left her own home at about 6:30 p.m. She never made it to work.
Later that night, police responded to a call about a shooting at a residence on Arborwood Drive in Forney, Texas, a city east of Dallas. When deputies from the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they were joined by officers from the Forney Police Department and the Precinct 2 Constable's Office. Inside the home, they found Amaya Penneywell-Robinson deceased. She had been shot multiple times. Investigators determined she was likely killed around 8 p.m., just an hour and a half after leaving her mother's house.
At the scene of the crime, deputies arrested Amaya’s boyfriend, 20-year-old Calvin Steven Farr. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with murder. The home where Amaya died was identified in reports as Farr's residence. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or the specific circumstances that led to the shooting. The investigation into the homicide is being led by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office.
Following his arrest, Calvin Steven Farr was booked into the Kaufman County jail. A judge set his bond at $750,000. As of late October 2026, he remained in custody while his family was reportedly attempting to raise the funds for his release. The murder charge is a formal accusation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The case is pending in the Kaufman County judicial system.
In the wake of the tragedy, Amaya’s mother spoke about the loss that has forever fractured her family. She revealed that she had been trying to get her daughter to leave Farr since the two began dating in high school, expressing long-held concerns about the relationship. With her daughter’s death occurring during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Tiara Tilley-Davis shared a heartfelt plea for other young women who might be in relationships with verbal or emotional abuse, urging them not to wait for it to become physical. "Get out," she advised, hoping her family's unspeakable pain could serve as a cautionary tale and save another life.
