In June 2020, 29-year-old African American female Ashley Richardson was found dead in a residence on West 33rd Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. Officers arrived at the scene after receiving a call from her ex-boyfriend and fiancé, Kendale Abel, who claimed that an accidental shooting had occurred. Upon entering the home, first responders discovered Richardson suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
She was pronounced dead shortly after authorities arrived, marking a tragic end to a relationship that her family described as volatile.
The investigation revealed that Abel had been released on bond just weeks prior to the shooting after being charged with a violent domestic assault against Richardson. In that previous incident, prosecutors alleged that Abel attacked her with a hammer, causing significant injuries. Despite a no-contact order and the requirement to wear a GPS ankle monitor as a condition of his release, Abel was present at the home on the night of her death. During questioning, he told detectives that he had been attempting to commit suicide and that the gun had discharged accidentally, missing him and striking Richardson instead. He further claimed that while checking on her, the weapon fired a second time, inflicting the fatal wound.
Prosecutors rejected Abel’s account of the events, arguing that the trajectory and nature of the wounds were consistent with an intentional execution rather than a mishap. Evidence presented during legal proceedings indicated that Abel had lured Richardson to the location in violation of the protective order. In June 2022, a judge in a bench trial found Abel guilty of murder, dismissing the defense's theory of an accidental shooting. The judge subsequently sentenced him to sixty years in prison, citing the brutality of the crime and his disregard for the court orders designed to protect the victim.
