On a late July evening in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, the lives of two individuals were tragically cut short in a violent encounter. Larry Gene Whiteker, a 32-year-old man known for his quiet demeanor and love for his family and farming, was killed on Monday, July 28, 2014. He was in the company of 33-year-old Nicole Hiles when they were attacked.
The events of that night unfolded on Mulligan Road when Shaun Hiles, the 35-year-old estranged husband of Nicole, reportedly rammed the pickup truck
that Whiteker was driving with his own vehicle. Following the collision, Shaun Hiles opened fire, fatally shooting both his estranged wife and Whiteker. After the shootings, he turned the gun on himself, inflicting two gunshot wounds to his own stomach.
A passerby, Deborah Collins, came across the scene believing it to be a car accident. She found Shaun Hiles on the ground and, upon checking on the occupants of the truck, discovered Nicole Hiles was deceased. When she questioned Shaun Hiles, he admitted to shooting and killing his wife and identified the other victim as Larry.
In the days leading up to the incident, Shaun Hiles had exhibited strange and threatening behavior. He was seen watching Whiteker's residence and had vandalized Nicole's car by ripping the door handles off earlier on the day of the murders. Whiteker, who was described as a helpful friend, was giving Nicole a ride home from her job at a local country store because her car was damaged. Just a day before her death, Nicole had filed for a protective order against her estranged husband.
Following the incident, Shaun Hiles was indicted by a Grant County grand jury on murder charges for the deaths of Larry Whiteker and Nicole Hiles. During his trial, prosecutors portrayed him as a stalker who had targeted his victims. Witnesses testified about his unsettling actions and statements in the days before the killings, suggesting he wrongly suspected an affair between his wife and Whiteker. Hiles was found at the scene with his self-inflicted injuries and was hospitalized before facing legal proceedings.
