Nine-year-old Aiden Michael Kramer, a male, was found shot to death alongside his mother, Kelli Kramer, in their Burlington, Kentucky, apartment on March 21, 2018. The discovery was made by Kelli's then-current boyfriend, who immediately contacted the authorities. Both mother and son had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to their heads and torsos. Aiden was a fourth-grade, straight-A student at Burlington Elementary School.
The investigation soon centered on Joshua Ward, Kelli Kramer's ex-boyfriend. The couple had been in a relationship that ended abruptly in May 2017. Following the breakup, Ward reportedly believed Kelli was responsible for 'destroying him' and began to harass her through social media and by contacting her family and employer. A crucial breakthrough in the case came from a tip to CrimeStoppers, which led investigators to a farm where Ward practiced shooting. ATF agents were able to match. 22 caliber shell casings found at the farm to those recovered from the murder scene.
Joshua Ward, an Ohio resident, was arrested in May 2018. In September 2021, a jury found him guilty on two counts of murder for the deaths of Kelli and Aiden Kramer. Prosecutors argued that the motive was a jealous and obsessive rage. Following the guilty verdict, the jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for Ward.
