On the evening of September 18, 2022, the life of 48-year-old White Caucasian woman Kimberly Yacone came to a tragic end in her Las Cruces, New Mexico home. What began as a domestic dispute escalated into a violent confrontation that would leave her dead and her husband and business partner, Robert Yacone, as the sole suspect in her murder. The couple were the well-known co-owners of the award-winning Italian restaurant, "Forghedaboudit."
The harrowing events of that evening began to
unfold at approximately 7:42 p.m. when the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office received a distressing 911 call. The call was made by the couple's 21-year-old son, Nick Yacone, who had arrived at the residence to find his mother unresponsive and bleeding profusely. He informed the dispatcher that his mother appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound and that there was "blood all over." In a separate call to 911, a neighbor reported that the couple's younger 17-year-old special-needs son had come to their house crying for help, stating that his mother had been shot. The son also told authorities that his older sister had received a call from their father in which he admitted to shooting their mother.
Upon their arrival at the Vista de Oro residence, deputies were faced with a tense and dangerous situation. Believing Kimberly Yacone to be severely injured inside, they made a forced entry into the home. At 8:17 p.m., their grim discovery was made in the master bedroom; Kimberly was found deceased with apparent gunshot wounds to her face and back. At the same time, Robert Yacone was located on the back balcony, which was attached to the master bedroom. He informed the deputies that he was armed with a handgun, leading to a standoff that lasted for several minutes.
The situation escalated at approximately 8:46 p.m. when, according to authorities, Robert Yacone fired shots, prompting three deputies to return fire. Yacone was struck by the deputies' gunfire and was subsequently transported to a local hospital with multiple wounds to his upper torso and arm. He was expected to survive and was placed under 24-hour guard. No law enforcement officers were injured during the exchange. Robert Yacone was charged with willful and deliberate first-degree murder and receipt, transportation, or possession of a firearm or destructive device. Records indicated a history of domestic disturbances at the Yacone residence, with the sheriff's office having responded to two such complaints earlier that year. In a final turn of events, Robert Yacone died on November 16, 2022.
