In the late summer of 2013, the life of 44-year-old Virginia Mae 'Jenny' Chumbley came to a tragic end in her London, Kentucky home. On August 28, 2013, she died from a gunshot wound. The person responsible was her husband, Ernest 'Chris' Chumbley, who claimed his actions were an act of mercy to end her suffering from breast cancer.
Minutes after shooting his wife as she slept, Ernest Chumbley called 911 to report what he had done.
During the call, he expressed that his wife had been in immense pain and had asked him to end her suffering. This claim of a 'mercy killing' became the central point of the ensuing investigation and legal case. However, family members were divided on whether Virginia had truly wished for her life to end. Some relatives supported the idea that she was miserable and wanted to die, while others were prepared to testify that she had plans to explore new treatment options with her doctors the very next day.
Initially charged with murder, Ernest Chumbley, who was 50 years old at the time of sentencing, ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Prosecutors considered several factors in the plea agreement, including his intoxication on the night of the shooting and his mindset. In October 2015, a judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison for the death of his wife.
