Rachel Taylor, 22, of Aurora, Illinois, was fatally shot on January 13, 2014, outside the Charles Street residence of her boyfriend, 49-year-old Christopher Whetstone. Rachel had driven to the home so Whetstone could see their two children, Daijanae and Christopher Whetstone-Taylor, and to tell him their relationship was over. During an argument Whetstone shot her once in the chest; as she tried to flee he pursued her and shot her two more times in the abdomen. Rachel was taken to Presence Mercy Medical Center and was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Christopher Whetstone was swiftly arrested and charged with first-degree murder. At trial a Kane County jury found he had personally discharged the firearm that killed Rachel; the jury convicted him and imposed a sentence that reflected prior domestic violence convictions and the fact he fired the gun, resulting in a prison term totaling 60 years. The case underscores the lethal consequences of domestic violence and the impact on the two children who lost their mother.

Did anyone in Aurora who knew Rachel or the family see signs of escalating violence before January 13, 2014?