In the early morning hours of June 9, 2018, the life of 42-year-old Ronda Dee Ray, a White female from Great Falls, Montana, was tragically cut short. Great Falls Police responded to a call regarding a disturbance involving possible gunshots at a residence on the 700 block of 20th Street North at approximately 3:30 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found both Ray and a man, later identified as 56-year-old Michael Howard Willey of Lincoln, with gunshot wounds.
Both individuals were transported
to a local medical facility for treatment but were later pronounced dead. The Cascade County Attorney's office subsequently declared the incident a murder-suicide, with the investigation indicating that Willey shot Ray before turning the gun on himself. Her death was officially ruled a homicide, stemming from a domestic violence incident.
Further investigation into Willey's background revealed a history of violence, including previous arrests for assaulting Ray. In the months leading up to the fatal shooting, Willey had been arrested twice for allegedly punching a woman and for violating a no-contact order. In April of that year, he was charged with felony aggravated assault following an incident in which he was accused of punching a female victim multiple times in the face and head. Authorities, however, did not confirm if Ray was the victim in that specific case.
