Kylie Marie Weitz Willis was a 20-year-old woman from Garrison, Kentucky, with a passion for life. A waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings, the young white female enjoyed cheerleading, running track, and playing volleyball. Her family and friends remembered her love for traveling, working as a lifeguard, going out to eat, and simply being with the people she cared about. Her life was cut short on the evening of August 9, 2023.
That day, Kentucky State Police received a call to investigate an unresponsive female at a residence on Willis Lane in Garrison. The initial 911 report claimed that Kylie had accidentally shot herself. When authorities arrived, they found her on the floor near the front door with a gunshot wound to her face. The county coroner pronounced her dead at the scene.
The initial story of a tragic accident quickly fell apart as investigators looked deeper into the circumstances of Kylie’s death.
During an interview with Damien Hebbeler, a 20-year-old who was also at the residence, the focus of the investigation shifted. Hebbeler allegedly told police that he had pointed a loaded pistol in Kylie’s face and pulled the trigger. Just three hours after the first 911 call, he was arrested and charged with her murder.
Hebbeler, who was the victim's boyfriend, was later indicted by a grand jury. The case proceeded to trial, where prosecutors presented evidence that less than a year before the shooting, Hebbeler had made statements about wanting to kill Weitz. At the trial, Hebbeler himself stated that he “carried a special bullet with him,” and that it was the same round used to shoot Kylie at close range.
A jury found Damien Hebbeler guilty of the intentional murder of Kylie Marie Weitz Willis. In March 2026, the jury recommended a sentence of 50 years in prison.
