In the quiet community of Clifty, Kentucky, the life of 57-year-old Deborah Kay McGee was tragically cut short on Friday, May 13, 2022. A female resident of the area, she was discovered deceased outside a home on Heltsley Road. The cause of her untimely death was determined to be a gunshot wound.
The investigation into her death quickly led authorities to a person of interest. Kentucky State Police identified 44-year-old David Odeal Slagle of Lewisburg as a suspect in the fatal shooting. A warrant for his arrest on the charge of murder was issued. The day after the discovery of McGee's body, Slagle was located and apprehended by the Logan County Sheriff's Office.
Following his arrest, further details of the events leading to McGee's death began to emerge. It was alleged that Slagle had threatened to shoot McGee in the week prior to the incident. In the hours after the shooting, he reportedly confessed to several individuals, including his mother, that he had shot her. In a later interview with a detective, Slagle claimed that the shooting was accidental, stating that the gun discharged while he was attempting to fix it for her.
The Todd County Grand Jury handed down an indictment against David Odeal Slagle, charging him with capital murder and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. Prosecutors alleged that he shot McGee in the chest with a shotgun.
