In the summer of 2016, the life of 34-year-old Joseph Nathaniel Key, Jr. was tragically cut short in his own home. On the morning of Sunday, August 21, 2016, Key was found deceased inside his apartment located in the 1800 block of Appleton Lane in Shively, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky. An investigation by Shively Police quickly determined that Key had been fatally shot.
Remembered by family and friends as a generous and kind-hearted father of three, his sudden death sent shockwaves through his community. Those who knew him described him as a man who would give the shirt off his back to someone in need.
The investigation into the homicide led police to two suspects. Authorities alleged that Dion Cummings and Shane Van Williams were involved in a plan to rob Key of heroin. According to police reports, Cummings was reportedly being shown the drugs by Key when he texted Van Williams with the intent to steal them. It is believed that Van Williams then came to the apartment and shot Key once in the head. The senseless act of violence was committed for what investigators determined was a drug-related robbery.
Within weeks of the discovery of Key's body, arrests were made in the case. Dion Cummings was apprehended in Louisville. Shane Van Williams was located and arrested over 600 miles away in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was held before being extradited back to Kentucky to face charges. Both men were charged in connection with the murder of Joseph Key, bringing a measure of progress for a grieving family and community seeking justice for a life taken too soon.
