Man found guilty of murdering wife in front of her parents
Share this @internewscast.com

Background: 500 block of Fulton Street in Daytona Beach, Florida (Google Maps). Inset: Shantell Adkins (Volusia County Jail).

A Florida man has been found guilty of murdering his wife in front of her parents who were at her home to help her.

Shantell Adkins, 37, was convicted of first-degree murder involving a firearm and two charges of aggravated assault following a two-day trial and a mere 17-minute jury deliberation, as announced by the Volusia County State Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

The incident occurred on Oct. 19, 2023. A confrontation erupted between Adkins and his wife, Shawntai Adkins, 34, at their home on Fulton Street in Daytona Beach. As tensions rose, she reached out to her parents for assistance, authorities reported.

Upon the arrival of Shawntai Adkins’ parents, who escorted their daughter out of the residence, Shantell Adkins used a rifle to fatally shoot his wife in the neck. She succumbed to her injuries at the scene.

“It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “Adkins executed our victim in front of her parents and then threatened to do the same to them. Another domestic murder and another devastated family.”

After shooting his wife on that October evening, Shantell Adkins shot himself in the shoulder, police said, per The Miami Herald. Arriving officers found him in the front yard and took him to a nearby hospital.

Shawntai Adkins’ mother, who was not named, reportedly said during a deposition that her daughter had found out earlier in the day that her husband was cheating on her — learning of the infidelity through messages on his Apple Watch. The mother said her daughter vowed to her that she was going to divorce him.

That same day, Shawntai Adkins accused her husband of taking her motorcycle while he was intoxicated, doing so just days after being admitted to an alcohol recovery center, according to court documents reviewed by the outlet.

It was later that same day that Shawntai Adkins called her parents and asked them to come over. When the parents arrived at about 6:30 p.m., her husband grabbed the rifle, according to law enforcement, and shot his wife in the neck.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Texas Mother Apprehended After Escaping to India When Police Searched for Her Missing 6-Year-Old Son

A Texas mom who claimed she sold her 6-year-old disabled son and…

Police Report: Man Accused of Inflicting Fatal Blows on Infant Over 40 Times

Share copy link Background: The neighborhood in Grimes, Iowa, where police were…

“Trial of Mother-in-law Accused of Murder: Family Leader Donna Adelson Set to Speak in Her Defense”

Jury selection is wrapping up in the murder case against Donna Adelson,…

Suspected Perpetrator in Quadruple Murder Case Speaks Out: Report

Insets, left to right: Austin Drummond (Tennessee Department of Correction), Adrianna Williams…

Police Report: Man Allegedly Hits Roommate with Truck at Crowded Intersection

Inset: Chad Michael Martinez (Milwaukee County Jail). Background: The intersection where Martinez…

Brazil’s Former President Accused of Attempting Escape to Argentina

Brazil’s federal police said that messages found on the telephone of embattled…

Three Men from Ocala Arrested for Easter Shooting at TB McPherson Center

Courtesy Gainesville Police Department Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gainesville Police…

Widow States That Man Killed in Altercation Was Attempting to Mediate

Background: Footage from a news broadcast shows the El Flaco Event Center…

Mother Discovered in Vacant Home with Deceased 10-Month-Old: ‘I Had No Choice but to Do Harm’

A mother from Milwaukee is now facing felony charges after police found…

Idaho Dad Fatally Shoots Teen Daughter, 18

A 51-year-old Idaho man is behind bars after he allegedly shot his…

Abrego Garcia Requests Judge to Drop Smuggling Charges

On the left, there’s Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador…

Be On The Lookout: South Carolina Girl Missing After Entering SUV with Unidentified Driver

Police in South Carolina are searching for a 16-year-old Sumter County girl…