Kylie Marie Weitz Willis was 20 when she died on the evening of August 9, 2023. A Garrison, Kentucky resident who worked as a waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings, she enjoyed cheerleading, running track, volleyball, lifeguarding and traveling. Her family remembered her for enjoying time out to eat and being with people she cared about.

Kentucky State Police responded to a residence on Willis Lane after a 911 report saying Kylie had accidentally shot herself. She was found near the front door with a gunshot wound to her face and pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later focused on 20-year-old Damien Hebbeler, who reportedly told police he had pointed a loaded pistol at Kylie’s face and pulled the trigger; he was arrested about three hours after the first call and indicted by a grand jury.

At trial prosecutors introduced evidence that less than a year before the shooting Hebbeler had talked about wanting to kill Weitz, and Hebbeler said he carried a special bullet that matched the round used at close range. A jury found Damien Hebbeler guilty of intentional murder and in March 2026 recommended a 50-year prison term.

If anyone knew Kylie, her movements that night, or has information about the case, please come forward.