In the early morning hours of July 24, 2023, the life of 20-year-old Annaway Mackey was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence in a Tulsa, Oklahoma apartment. She, along with her mother, 38-year-old Ashley Atwell, and a friend, 19-year-old Sarah Gonzales, were fatally shot inside Atwell's residence at the Wood Creek Apartments. The scene that unfolded was described by police as horrific, a devastating crime that shocked the community.
The perpetrator, Caleb Venson, the
29-year-old ex-boyfriend of Ashley Atwell, forced his way into the apartment by shooting out a sliding glass door. Once inside, he opened fire, killing Atwell as she held the one-year-old son she shared with him. The infant was also shot but miraculously survived his injuries. Venson then proceeded to shoot and kill Annaway Mackey and Sarah Gonzales. In the chaotic moments that followed, another teenager present in the apartment managed to escape by jumping out of a window.
Following the rampage, Caleb Venson turned himself into the police. He was subsequently charged with three counts of first-degree murder, burglary in the first degree, and shooting with intent to kill. In the months that followed, Venson pleaded guilty to the murders. In February 2024, a judge sentenced him to three consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the heinous crime that claimed the lives of three innocent women.
