Cheryl Allender, 37, was shot to death at her home on Mary Ingles Highway in California, Kentucky, on April 18, 2017. A mother of six and a nursing student, she was found in the yard at about 4:45 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds. Her husband, John Will Allender, placed the 911 call and told police he had shot her in self-defense after she entered his room armed. The couple was estranged but still living in the same house.

Investigators reported that the bullet trajectories and the position of Cheryl’s body did not match Will Allender’s account. Detectives and a crime scene expert concluded the scene had been staged and said the physical evidence made his version of events impossible; they determined Cheryl was likely trying to leave the room when she was shot. Will Allender was arrested and charged with her murder and with attempting to influence his children’s potential testimony. The case went to trial in June 2021 and a jury found him guilty after about 70 minutes of deliberation.

If anyone knew Cheryl, her routines, or the family’s situation before April 18, 2017, can you share what you remember?