In what was a grim discovery on a Tuesday afternoon in Stony Point, New York, 35-year-old Colleen Williston was found deceased in her home. The tragic event, which unfolded on March 19, 2024, was the result of a murder-suicide perpetrated by 38-year-old Sean Kelly.
Police were alerted to the situation by a distressing call from a man who stated that his friends had shot themselves.
Upon their arrival at the Rosetown Road residence, officers discovered the bodies of Williston and Kelly in an upstairs bedroom, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The initial investigation conducted by Stony Point Police detectives, with assistance from the Rockland County Sheriff's BCI Unit and the Rockland County Medical Examiner's Office, led to the conclusion that Kelly had shot Williston before turning the weapon on himself.
Further investigation into the motive revealed a troubled history. Just days prior to the fatal incident, on Saturday, March 16, Kelly had filed a complaint with the Stony Point Police involving Williston and their two young children. This complaint prompted a notification to Rockland County Child Protective Services, and an investigation was underway at the time of the murder-suicide. Fortunately, the two children were not in the residence at the time of the shooting and were not in the custody of either parent.
In the wake of this tragedy, friends and family of Colleen Williston organized a fundraiser to support her two young daughters, who are now in the care of their maternal grandparents. The investigation into the specific motives and the circumstances leading up to the murder-suicide remains ongoing by the Stony Point Police Department.
