Allison Marie Sheehan, a 46-year-old White woman from Orlando, Florida, was in an eight-year relationship with Richard Raciak, with whom she shared a child. On Saturday, April 15, 2023, the couple hosted a birthday party for their son at their home on Smithfield Drive. After the party ended and their son was asleep, an argument began between Sheehan and Raciak.
The conflict escalated in the master bedroom.
According to text messages Raciak sent to his father and brother starting around 10:25 p.m., he claimed Sheehan was attacking him and that he "had to fire shots" in self-defense. He later sent them a photograph of Sheehan's body. Raciak's father called the police, and Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the home around 12:39 a.m. on Sunday, April 16. They found Sheehan in the bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds. She was transported to Osceola Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Raciak, 48, remained at the scene and was taken to an emergency room for dehydration before being interviewed by detectives. He claimed that during the argument, Sheehan became jealous, stomped on his foot, and "came at" him, making him believe she was going to "claw his eyes out." He said she pushed him into a dresser, causing him to fall. Raciak told investigators he then retrieved a .40 caliber handgun from a locked biometric safe.
Raciak stated that he became "pissed" and wanted to "put her down." He said he intended to shoot Sheehan in the leg so she would "chill," but he "aimed high" and shot her four times. He admitted to detectives that Sheehan was turned away from him and walking toward the bathroom when he fired the shots. Following his interview, Raciak was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm.
The charge against Raciak was later prosecuted as second-degree murder. In July 2023, a judge denied his attorney's motion to set bond, and he remained incarcerated at the Orange County Jail. According to the latest available information from August 2023, a pretrial conference was scheduled for August 16, and his trial was set to begin on August 28, 2023.
