On December 8, 2014, 24-year-old Cheyenne Dunn was fatally stabbed in a Walmart parking lot in Monroe, Louisiana during a custody exchange for her two young daughters with her estranged husband, 29-year-old Phillip Chad Dunn. The attack occurred in the children’s presence.

Phillip Chad Dunn was identified as the primary suspect, arrested, and charged with Cheyenne’s murder. Prosecutors argued the killing was premeditated and presented testimony that he had told the daughters he intended to harm their mother. The two girls also testified about what they saw in the parking lot. The defense said Dunn acted in a sudden heat of passion, alleging provocation by Cheyenne’s relationship with another man.

The case drew significant local media attention because of the domestic-violence context and the children’s involvement as witnesses.