Krystle LeeAnn Wilder was 28 when she was killed in her Benton, Arkansas, apartment in the early morning hours of October 17, 2022. A preschool teacher and mother, she is remembered by family as devoted to her young daughter Amani and as a positive presence in her community. The death occurred during a violent domestic disturbance in which her partner, 39-year-old Demontra Hatfield, shot and killed her. Their three-year-old daughter was present, suffered a gunshot wound, and survived.

After the shooting, Hatfield fled Benton with Wilder’s body and the injured child. He later traveled to Little Rock, was involved in a car crash with 61-year-old Larry Foster, and shot and killed Foster. Hatfield sought medical care for the child at a Little Rock hospital, which led to his arrest; Wilder’s body was found in the trunk of her car. He was charged with first-degree murder, capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and endangering the welfare of a minor. A Saline County jury found Hatfield guilty on all counts and a judge imposed life plus an additional 170 years.

If anyone knew Krystle, her family, or saw relevant activity in Benton or Little Rock around October 17, 2022, please share what is known.