Mary Elyce Halcomb was a 20-year-old White woman from Mapleton, Illinois, who was remembered by her family as having a "heart the size of Texas." She was studying to become a nurse, played softball, and was known for her contagious laugh. Her mother described Mary as her closest companion, and she was a best friend to her two younger siblings.
On the evening of September 6, 2024, police in Peoria, Illinois, responded to a call reporting that a woman had shot herself at a residence in the
1400 block of South Griswold Street. Officers arrived to find Mary Halcomb lying in a pool of blood on a stairwell landing. She had a single gunshot wound to her neck and a gun was in her hand. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Although the scene was initially reported as a suicide, investigators quickly found evidence that suggested otherwise. A blood trail led from a downstairs bedroom to the landing where Mary’s body was found, indicating she had been moved after being shot. In the bedroom, police discovered a sticky note that read, “I, Mary Elyce Halcomb, promise to never break Nathanial Archuleta’s heart, and if I do, Nathaniel Archuleta has every right to euthanize me, vice versa, I love you.” Mary’s parents later confirmed the note was written in her handwriting.
Police questioned Mary’s 18-year-old boyfriend, Nathaniel Archuleta, who was at the home. He gave conflicting stories, first claiming that Mary had died by suicide. He then changed his account, stating that a gun he was cleaning had accidentally discharged. Investigators found no gun cleaning supplies in the residence. Archuleta was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Authorities later learned that Archuleta had admitted to a fellow inmate that he shot Mary because he caught her texting another man and had then staged the scene to look like a suicide.
During an emotional plea hearing on July 7, 2025, the courtroom was filled with Mary’s loved ones, who tearfully described their persistent heartbreak and overwhelming sense of loss. They called Archuleta’s actions selfish and unforgivable. As part of a plea agreement supported by Mary's family, Nathaniel Archuleta, then 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. In exchange for his plea, charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a handgun were dismissed.
The judge sentenced Archuleta to 45 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He is required to serve 100% of his sentence. The case was closed with his conviction and sentencing in July 2025.
