On the night of October 1, 2021, the life of 47-year-old Maria Elaine Gillette, a female U.S. Army veteran, was tragically cut short in her Henrico County, Virginia, home. Henrico Police received a 911 call from a juvenile reporting a domestic dispute at a residence on Shirleydale Avenue. While officers were on their way, they received an update that a woman had been shot inside the house and a man was seen leaving in a vehicle.
Upon their arrival, police discovered Maria Elaine Gillette
with evident signs of trauma; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Fortunately, the juvenile who made the call was unharmed. Within a remarkably short time, just 15 minutes after the initial emergency call, officers located the suspect's vehicle and took him into custody. The suspect was identified as 59-year-old James Stevenson of Henrico County.
Stevenson was subsequently arrested and faced charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The incident was classified as a domestic-related homicide. Those who knew Maria described her as a woman who enjoyed reading, riding horses, and expressing her creativity through knitting and drawing. She was a mother and a grandmother. Her sudden and violent death left a void in the lives of her family and friends.
