On the evening of May 19, 2020, 51-year-old Michelle Leigh Tompkins of Christiansburg, Virginia, was shot and killed at her home on Red Hawk Run. Her husband, Gerard Patrick Tompkins, called 911 that night to report he had shot his wife. Michelle was found unresponsive slumped over the steering wheel of her running car in the driveway; the driver’s side window was shattered and the door had multiple bullet holes. She suffered nine gunshot wounds, the fatal wound to her chest.

Inside the house, Gerard Tompkins was found face down on the kitchen floor with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver nearby; all seven rounds had been fired. He was later found to have a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and, while in custody, admitted to killing his wife. Michelle had documented prior abuse in writings, had shown friends bruises, and had been recording her husband’s outbursts on her cellphone; the phone was reportedly recording at the time of the murder. Her slippers and lack of a bra suggested she may have been attempting to flee.

Gerard Tompkins was charged with second-degree murder and, through a plea agreement, pleaded guilty and received a 38-year prison sentence with 10 years suspended. If anyone knew Michelle, her routines, or details about the relationship that could help others understand what happened, please share what is known.