In the late summer of 2022, the life of 35-year-old Ashley Dawn Stamper was tragically cut short in her Lexington, Kentucky home. On the afternoon of August 17th, police were called to her residence on Linden Walk, where they discovered Ashley with a fatal gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initially, the circumstances surrounding Ashley's death were unclear, with the first report to authorities suggesting a possible suicide.
However, as investigators began to piece together the evidence, a more sinister narrative emerged. The Fayette County Coroner's Office deemed the scene suspicious, and the investigation soon pivoted to a homicide. It appeared to law enforcement that both Ashley's body and the gun found near her hand had been moved, a conclusion supported by blood evidence at the scene. This crucial detail cast serious doubt on the initial theory of suicide and pointed towards foul play.
Suspicion quickly fell upon Ashley's 46-year-old husband, Yovany Chaple-Chalita. During questioning, investigators noted several inconsistencies in his account of the events leading up to his wife's death. Chaple-Chalita claimed to have been driving around Lexington at the time of the shooting, but cell phone data placed him at the Linden Walk residence. Further contradicting his story, security camera footage from a gas station he claimed to have visited did not align with the timeline he provided. Witnesses in the vicinity with personal security systems reported hearing a gunshot followed by a woman screaming and a male's voice. They also informed police of a history of domestic violence between the couple.
Ten days after Ashley's death, on August 27, 2022, Yovany Chaple-Chalita was arrested and charged with murder-domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence. He was taken into custody in the area of Arbor Drive and Trent Boulevard. A judge later found probable cause to send the case against him to a grand jury. Ashley, a hairdresser and a mother to a son and a daughter, was remembered by her loved ones as her case moved through the justice system.
