On the evening of Tuesday, October 3, 2017, in the quiet community of Verona, Kentucky, 42-year-old Robert Hiles, a male, was shot and killed inside his residence on Jacobs Ridge Road. The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m., shattering the tranquility of the neighborhood. Following the shooting, a 911 call was made by the individual who had pulled the trigger.
Responding to the call, Kentucky State Police arrived at the scene to find Robert Hiles deceased.
The subsequent investigation quickly identified the shooter as his wife, 36-year-old Debra Hiles. She was taken into custody and charged with murder. Debra was then lodged in the Carroll County Detention Center.
In the course of the investigation, a motive for the shooting began to emerge. Debra Hiles alleged to investigators that the shooting occurred after her husband had raped her. According to her statement, she had resisted his sexual advances earlier in the evening. Approximately an hour later, she retrieved a handgun and shot her husband multiple times. An investigation into her claims was initiated, which included a rape kit examination that reportedly indicated some level of sexual trauma. The case against Debra Hiles proceeded through the legal system, with the couple's children being placed in state custody in the aftermath of the tragic event.
