Hailey Christiansen, a 29-year-old woman from Norfolk, Nebraska, was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend, DeShawn Gleaton Jr., on July 24, 2020. Despite warnings from her family about Gleaton's violent past, Hailey continued to see him, believing in second chances for everyone. Gleaton had a history of domestic violence, including a prior conviction for strangling an ex-girlfriend, which led to a prison sentence where he was supposed to receive treatment but did not due to the lack of domestic
violence programs in Nebraska prisons.
Gleaton was released from prison in April 2018 and was court-ordered to attend batterers intervention outside of prison, but he never complied. His non-attendance resulted in brief jail stints, but he was eventually released without parole or probation in December 2019. This pattern of non-compliance and violence continued, culminating in a violent assault on Hailey in early 2020, where he broke into her home, attacked her, and was arrested but released on bond days later.
On the night of July 24, Hailey was at home when Gleaton returned, enraged by her reporting him to the police. He fired a single shot that struck Hailey in the chest, puncturing her lung and heart. Despite her repeated pleas to tell her son and family that she loved them, she died hours later at Norfolk's Faith Regional Hospital.
The aftermath of Hailey's death saw her family grappling with grief and seeking ways to prevent similar tragedies. They connected with the Koch family, who had lost a daughter in a similar domestic violence incident, leading to collaborative efforts on legislative changes. This resulted in the establishment of the Domestic Violence Death Review Team in Nebraska, aimed at analyzing trends in domestic violence deaths to inform future preventive measures.
Gleaton was sentenced to life in prison for Hailey's murder in July 2022. Her memory lives on through her family, who keep her spirit alive with photos, her favorite toy elephants, and annual visits to her grave where her young son, Hazen, sends messages to his mother via balloons.
