In the quiet community of Dowagiac, Michigan, the life of 42-year-old Laura Jean Stineback, a female nurse, came to a tragic and violent end on the night of Tuesday, May 12, 2015. What began as a verbal and physical argument between Laura and her husband, Terry Stineback, inside their home on Flanders Street escalated to a fatal shooting that left the community in shock.
The couple's 9-year-old daughter was in the home at the time and witnessed the altercation. According to the child's account to the police, the argument started in the basement where her father began choking her mother. After the young girl pleaded with him to stop, she was ordered upstairs. Terry Stineback then forced Laura upstairs into their bedroom, locked the door, and shot her multiple times in the back.
Following the shooting, Terry Stineback himself called 911 at approximately 9:39 p.m. and informed dispatchers that he had shot his wife. When officers from the Cass County Sheriff's Office arrived at the residence, they found Laura Jean Stineback deceased in a bedroom from multiple gunshot wounds. Terry Stineback was taken into custody at the scene without incident. The couple's daughter was taken to the hospital and later released to the care of family.
Terry Stineback was subsequently arraigned on charges of open murder, assault with intent to murder, and felony possession of a firearm. During the arraignment, the Cass County Prosecutor stated that they believed the murder was premeditated. Terry Stineback was held without bond.
