On July 28, 2021, Kenneth Alvin Graeb, a 75-year-old resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, lost his life in a tragic incident involving his wife and another woman. The events unfolded at the Graeb residence on Haozous Road, where Kenneth and his wife, Sheryl Graeb, had gathered with two neighbors and a 53-year-old woman after not seeing them for two years.
The evening began with the group consuming multiple bottles of wine, but it took a deadly turn later in the night.
According to the woman who was shot, she was getting ready for bed in one of the rooms of the Graeb's house. She undressed and was naked when Kenneth Graeb entered the room and began to 'caress' her. The woman asked Kenneth about his actions and then inquired about Sheryl's whereabouts. Kenneth called for Sheryl to come into the room. The woman did not remember much of the rest of the incident but recalled hearing a single gunshot and seeing Kenneth slumped on top of her. She knew that Sheryl was the shooter because there were only three individuals in the house at the time.
The woman managed to escape the house by crawling through a window in the bathroom attached to the guestroom. She ran outside, returned to the house to get some clothes, and then sought help. Deputies responding to the call observed a gunshot wound to the woman's right shoulder.
Sheryl Graeb, who was 74 years old at the time, was arrested by Santa Fe County Sheriff's detectives on July 29, 2021. She was charged with the murder of her husband, Kenneth Alvin Graeb, as well as aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and negligent use of a deadly weapon for shooting the 53-year-old woman. Sheryl Graeb was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center following her arrest.
In subsequent legal proceedings, Sheryl Graeb pleaded no contest to the charges of killing her husband and wounding the other woman. However, she did not receive a prison sentence.
Kenneth Alvin Graeb, Jr., was a man with a diverse and accomplished life. Born in Jamaica, Queens, New York, he was the son of a U.S. Air Force pilot and spent his early years living in post-WWII France and Japan. He attended Sofia University in Tokyo and later studied pre-med at the University of Hawaii before volunteering to serve in the U.S. Army in Okinawa. After his military service, he completed a degree in fine arts at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Graeb had a long career as a test flight cinematographer for McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, retiring after 30 years. He is survived by his siblings and several nieces and nephews who affectionately knew him as 'Uncle Kenny'.
