Kelly Ann Stanfill, a 36-year-old White female from Kalamazoo, Michigan, became the victim of a violent crime on November 18, 2016, that went undiscovered for several months. A mother of three, she was traveling in a van that evening with her husband, Kevin Stanfill, and his sister, Jerri Stripling. The couple, who had a history of domestic turmoil, engaged in a heated argument during the drive.
As the vehicle moved through Cooper Township, Kevin stopped the van near a remote field off AB Avenue and ordered his wife to get out.
The situation escalated fatally when Kevin Stanfill followed Kelly into the darkness of the field. From the vehicle, his sister heard multiple gunshots ring out before Kevin returned to the van alone. He reportedly threatened his sister to ensure her silence regarding the events she had just witnessed. For approximately two months, Kelly’s whereabouts remained unknown to authorities, and the true nature of her disappearance was concealed by the fear instilled in the only witness.
The investigation broke open in mid-January 2017 after Jerri Stripling was involved in a separate violent altercation with her brother, which prompted her to come forward to law enforcement. She guided detectives to the snow-covered field where the shooting had occurred. There, investigators located Kelly Ann Stanfill’s remains, confirming she had been shot four times in the head. The discovery aligned with the timeline provided by the witness, establishing that Kelly had been killed on that November night.
Kevin Stanfill was arrested and initially faced an open murder charge along with felony firearm counts. In October 2017, he entered a plea agreement with the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for the dismissal of the firearm charges and a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon. On December 4, 2017, a judge sentenced him to a minimum of 26 years in prison for the murder of his wife.
