Jennifer Lee, 44, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head inside a residence on the 400 block of West Seventh Street in Newport, Washington, on the afternoon of November 6, 2022. Responding officers from the Newport Police Department and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office located her inside the home after a report of a shooting.

Police identified 29-year-old Nathan Fry, Jennifer’s boyfriend, as the primary suspect. Fry, who was at the scene with Jennifer’s estranged husband, Christian Lee, was taken into custody and initially charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Accounts given to police describe a heated argument between Jennifer and Christian that escalated when Jennifer reportedly charged at Christian and was pushed back toward the bed. Fry said he picked up a shotgun and stood on the bed to break up the fight, then tripped and fell backward, causing the gun to discharge; Christian’s account says Fry pointed the weapon at him before the firearm discharged and struck Jennifer.

Nathan Fry ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced on February 8, 2024. Was anyone in Newport aware of tensions among the residents at that address in the months before the shooting?