Zoe Eleni Antoniou, a 26-year-old White / Caucasian female from Weirton, West Virginia, died on the morning of April 20, 2024, in a violent shooting that shattered a home on Miami Avenue and left the surrounding Terrace Heights neighborhood stunned. Police were called to 249 Miami Avenue shortly after midnight after a report of gunfire inside the residence.
When officers entered the home, they found Zoe and 25-year-old Jordan Nicole Bettino dead from gunshot wounds.
The shooting was treated by Weirton officials as an apparent double murder-suicide. A third woman, 30-year-old Desiree McDiffitt, had also been shot and was taken for emergency medical treatment. Reports indicated she was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where she underwent surgery and was later described as stable and expected to recover. Inside the same home, police also found 33-year-old Brennan Bailey dead from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators identified Bailey as the suspect in the shootings. According to Weirton Police Chief Charlie Kush, Bailey, Zoe, Jordan, and Desiree had been gathered on the first floor of the three-level residence when the shooting occurred. Jordan Bettino's sister, Victoria Bettino, was also connected to the scene; police said she was in a relationship with Bailey. The home belonged to Jordan and Victoria's mother, Gina Bettino, and police said Jordan and Victoria would sometimes stay there.
The violence unfolded while four children were inside the home. Two of the children were reportedly in the basement at the time of the shooting, while two others were upstairs with Gina Bettino. None of the children was physically injured. The presence of children in the house added another heartbreaking layer to the case, as what began as a gathering inside a family home ended with two young women killed, another woman seriously wounded, and the suspected gunman dead before any arrest could be made.
Because Bailey died at the scene, there were no arrests, criminal charges, trial, or conviction. Authorities continued investigating after the shooting, including speaking with witnesses and family members as they tried to determine a motive. Chief Kush said at the time that investigators did not have a confirmed motive and hoped to gather more information from the surviving victim once she was able to provide a fuller statement.
Zoe's death was mourned deeply in Weirton. Her obituary described her as a 2015 graduate of Weir High School, remembered as a radiant, kind, supportive person who was known by loved ones as a “hype girl” because of the energy and encouragement she gave to others. In the days after the shooting, hundreds gathered at Starvaggi Memorial Park and Pool for a celebration of her life, lighting lanterns and honoring the memory of someone whose death came suddenly and violently in a place where friends, family, and neighbors were left searching for answers.
