On a Tuesday night in February 2019, the life of a 28-year-old White/Caucasian woman, Ashley Stephens, was tragically cut short in Omaha, Nebraska. Investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office determined that Stephens was the victim of a murder-suicide that unfolded near 134th and Meredith.
Authorities identified her 61-year-old boyfriend, Jonathan Hartley, as the person responsible for her death.
According to the investigation, Hartley shot and killed Stephens before turning the gun on himself. Hartley was transported to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he died the following night.
Stephens was a mother to two young children, a five-year-old and a four-year-old, from a previous relationship with Chris Hove. In the wake of the tragedy, Hove shared that Stephens had previously mentioned Hartley's struggles with depression. A recent snowstorm had altered their custody schedule, which meant the children were with their father on the night of the shooting, a change from the original plan for them to be with their mother.
