In the quiet community of Morning View, Kentucky, a deeply unsettling event shattered the winter calm on the evening of January 14, 2014. It was on this day that 26-year-old Erin Nicole Cully, a female, was found deceased in her residence on Cruise Creek Road. Her life was tragically cut short in what investigators would soon describe as an apparent murder-suicide.
The grim discovery was made after law enforcement was dispatched to the home for a welfare check, a call prompted by concern for Erin and her estranged boyfriend.
Upon their arrival at approximately 6:00 p.m., Kenton County Police officers entered the home and found a scene of profound tragedy. Erin Nicole Cully and her 28-year-old estranged boyfriend, Jason Stephens of Independence, were both found dead from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The initial evidence uncovered at the scene led detectives to a harrowing conclusion: that Stephens had shot and killed Cully with a handgun before turning the weapon on himself. At the time of the incident, the two children the couple shared were thankfully not present in the house.
The investigation that followed painted a somber picture of the circumstances leading to the fatal encounter. Stephens' family had grown worried when he went missing and they discovered a firearm was gone from his father's home. Their search for him led them to Erin's residence, where they found his truck parked outside and subsequently alerted the authorities. While neighbors reported that the couple had not resided in the area for a significant amount of time, there had been no prior police reports of domestic disturbances between them. However, it was found that Jason Stephens had a history of firearm-related charges, having been arrested twice in 2012 for offenses involving a stolen and a concealed weapon. In the wake of this violent act, the community was left to mourn the loss of a young mother who was remembered for her kind and friendly nature.
