Sam Walter Denham was 60 when he was shot and killed at his Fountain, Florida, home on April 27, 2015. A retired deputy of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office with 26 years of service, Denham had continued in public life through his business, Austin’s Smokin’ Butt Hut. On the morning of his death a domestic argument with his partner of 13 years, Cheryl Gay Hundley, escalated and Hundley shot him in the chest. Denham was taken to a local hospital and died shortly after arriving.

The relationship was described as tumultuous with repeated arguments and incidents of domestic violence. In March 2015 Denham filed for an injunction for protection, saying he feared for his life and reporting threats involving a .38 Special Smith & Wesson revolver; the petition was denied for insufficient factual detail despite supporting letters from his psychologist and a Salvation Army dependency court advocate. Hundley was arrested and charged with murder; she later entered a plea of no contest to manslaughter with a firearm and was convicted and sentenced.

Does anyone have information about the months leading up to April 2015 or recall contacts Denham made seeking help?