Kevin Scott Small, 48, was found dead outside his Shipman, Virginia, home on April 18, 2025. Nelson County deputies located him unresponsive with a single gunshot wound to the chest; emergency medical personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene.

Investigators quickly identified 22-year-old Katelynn Ann Hipes of Augusta County as a suspect. Felony arrest warrants were issued charging second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and authorities warned she was armed and dangerous as they searched. Hipes was apprehended in Harrisonburg five days later and taken into custody without incident.

Reports say Hipes and Small had a prior connection. On April 16 Hipes was in court on an assault and battery charge and was found not guilty, and Small that same day had sought a protective order that was not granted. An eyewitness, Small’s grandfather, reportedly identified Hipes as the person who shot Small while he was on a tractor outside his home.