In the quiet town of Preston, Idaho, the life of 15-year-old Corbin Adrian Hillaker, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short on February 19, 2017. A sophomore at Preston High School, Corbin was known for his love of the great outdoors. He found joy in activities like hunting, hiking, rappelling, and had recently taken up bull riding. Those who knew him remembered a young man with a positive outlook on life, someone who could bring a smile to anyone's face.
The devastating events
of that day unfolded within the family home. Corbin, along with his two younger half-siblings, 6-year-old Jessica Spillett and 7-year-old Tate McKoy Spillett, were fatally shot while they slept. The perpetrator was their 37-year-old stepfather, Tate Lee Spillett. After taking the lives of the three children, Spillett then turned the gun on himself, completing the horrific murder-suicide.
At the time of the incident, the children's mother, Summer Spillett, was out of town on a business trip. Investigations later revealed that she and her husband were in the process of a divorce. The community of Preston was left in shock and mourning, holding vigils and memorials to honor the young lives that had been so violently taken. With the perpetrator deceased, the case was considered solved, leaving a grieving family and community to grapple with the immense loss.
