Cathy Ann Maples

Cathy Ann Maples was a 72-year-old White female whose life was deeply rooted in her Adrian, Michigan, community. A graduate of the University of Michigan with both a bachelor's and a master's degree, she dedicated 35 years of her professional life to education at Deerfield Public Schools. Former students and friends remembered her as a librarian, media specialist, and English teacher who was "bright, bubbly, and very personable." She was a woman who filled life with "joy, love and friendship," and was a beloved mother to two daughters and grandmother to two grandchildren.

The peace of her life was shattered on the evening of Friday, February 24, 2023. At approximately 9 p.m., authorities were dispatched to the Maples' home on Baldwin Highway in Madison Township for a reported domestic violence incident involving a shooting. The 911 call came from Cathy's husband of 42 years, Stephen Sevedus Maples, who reported that he had shot his wife.

Upon arriving at the residence, deputies from the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office discovered Cathy Maples deceased inside a bedroom from what were described as apparent gunshot wounds. Stephen Maples, then 72, was taken into custody at the scene. Investigators recovered a .357-caliber handgun in the bedroom and called in the Michigan State Police Crime Lab to process the scene. Authorities also noted that there had been one prior domestic-violence call involving the home in 2005.

Stephen Maples was subsequently charged with open murder, which allows a jury to determine the degree, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. After being held on a multi-million dollar bond, his case went to trial before Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael Olsaver. A jury found Stephen Maples guilty of second-degree murder and the felony firearm charge. Following his conviction, he was held without bond, and a sentencing hearing was scheduled for October 1.