In the quiet town of Winfield, Kansas, the life of 33-year-old Melissa Cathleen Gardner, a White/Caucasian female, was cut tragically short on Sunday, January 15, 2017. A devoted homemaker and mother to four children, Melissa was found deceased in her home from what was determined to be a gunshot wound. Born in Winfield on December 29, 1983, she had grown up in the community and was a graduate of Winfield High School.
Her greatest joy was said to be her family, with whom she loved to spend her time.
On the evening of her death, authorities were dispatched to her residence on East Fourth Street after receiving a report of a woman who may have been shot. Upon their arrival, they discovered Melissa's body. Her husband, 32-year-old Zachary L. Gardner, was present at the scene and was taken into custody by the Winfield police. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Cowley County Jail.
Zachary Gardner was officially charged with second-degree murder in connection with his wife's death. During legal proceedings, it was revealed that both Melissa and Zachary had been using methamphetamine and other drugs on the weekend of the incident. An autopsy confirmed that Melissa died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. The bullet first struck her left forearm before entering her abdomen. There was no indication of the shot being fired at close range, and blood analysis revealed the presence of methamphetamine and amphetamine in her system.
In February 2018, a jury found Zachary Gardner, an Iraq War veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury, guilty of unintentional second-degree murder. His defense had argued for involuntary manslaughter, citing his military service and mental health conditions. He claimed to have taken a loaded gun to bed out of concern about two other men who were in the house with his wife. He stated that he was startled awake by a scream and a shot, but could not recall the sequence of events. Following the conviction, he was sentenced to 123 months in prison.
