In the quiet community of Gardendale, Alabama, a tragic event unfolded that claimed the life of 65-year-old Bonnie Reeves Foshee. On July 12, 2017, Foshee, her husband of 45 years, Don Austin Foshee, 69, and her sister, Dana Reeves Lever, 50, were shot and killed. The brutal act occurred at Lever's home in the Peachtree Crossings manufactured housing community. The family was reportedly preparing for a trip to Chicago to celebrate the graduation of Lever's son from U.S.
Navy boot camp when they were ambushed.
The sole suspect in the triple homicide was identified as Kenneth Dion Lever, 52, Dana Lever's ex-husband. Court records revealed a troubled history between Kenneth and Dana Lever, with Dana having previously filed for a protective order against him, citing harassment and stalking. The order, issued in December of the previous year, was meant to protect both Dana and their juvenile daughter. In addition to the domestic issues, Kenneth Lever was also facing trial for child sexual abuse charges in York County, Pennsylvania.
Following the shootings, a manhunt for Kenneth Lever was launched, with law enforcement believing he might have fled to the Florida Panhandle, where he had been residing. The search came to a grim conclusion when U.S. Marshals confirmed that Kenneth Dion Lever had been found dead in Escambia County, Florida, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bonnie Reeves Foshee was remembered by family as the eldest of four sisters who took on a caring and protective role within the family. She and her husband were described as innocent victims caught in the violent culmination of her sister's troubled past with her ex-husband. The close-knit family was left devastated by the loss of three of its members in such a senseless act of violence.
