In the small community of Topock, Arizona, a domestic dispute on the evening of May 10, 2020, ended in the tragic death of 50-year-old Jeffrey Joseph Dufour. A white male, Dufour was found deceased in the driveway of a residence on Cove Parkway, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a domestic violence call made by Jennifer Dawn Priole, who informed the dispatcher that she had shot a male subject.
Upon their arrival, authorities discovered Dufour's body and took the 48-year-old Priole into custody for questioning. During the investigation, Priole alleged that she and Dufour had been in an argument that escalated into a physical altercation, leading her to shoot him in self-defense. However, investigators found no marks or injuries on Priole to support her claim of a physical struggle.
The investigation took a significant turn with the discovery of video surveillance footage at the residence. The video evidence contradicted Priole's account of the events. According to reports from the sentencing hearing, the footage showed Priole shooting Dufour. After he staggered, she shot him a second time. It was also reported that seventeen minutes passed before she fired a third shot and then waited another forty minutes before contacting 911.
Jennifer Dawn Priole was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. She later pleaded guilty to the charge, though she maintained a claim of battered woman syndrome. Taking into account the evidence, including the use of a deadly weapon and the impact on Dufour's family, a judge sentenced Priole to the maximum of 16 years in prison for the murder of Jeffrey Joseph Dufour.
