Nuria Kudlach, 51, was shot and killed in her State College, Pennsylvania, home on August 30, 2015. Neighbors and acquaintances remembered her as having a vibrant personality, an infectious laugh, and a recent start in a real estate career after years focused on family and Penn State loyalties. The household had been under strain: Nuria and her husband, Alois Kudlach, reportedly argued frequently, faced financial problems, and had discussed divorce. Two weeks before the shooting Nuria emailed her husband that she was done, and the night before the killing she allegedly smashed a cellphone with a hammer. On the morning of August 30 a family argument involved all three members; afterward Alois called 911 saying his wife had come at him with a knife and he shot her in self-defense.

Police found Nuria in the kitchen with three .45 caliber gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Alois, then 49, was arrested and charged with first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and possession of an instrument of a crime. Prosecutors said forensic evidence contradicted his self-defense claim, noting the autopsy showed Nuria was not facing her husband when shot, and recorded arguments were introduced at trial. In August 2016 a jury convicted Alois Kudlach of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison.