Donna Trapani was relentless in her pursuit of love, even if it meant orchestrating a tragic crime to eliminate her romantic rival. Her extreme actions, which included pretending to have cancer and faking a pregnancy, were all part of her plan to win over George Fulton, a former military man. These details came to light in an episode of Oxygen’s Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins.

Ultimately, Donna’s deceitful campaign led to the tragic death of George’s wife, Gail Fulton. On October 4, 1999, Gail, who was a devoted mother of three and a librarian, was fatally shot in the parking lot of a library in Lake Orion, Michigan. The 48-year-old had just finished her workday when the attack occurred.

This horrific event triggered a nationwide investigation that unveiled a tangled love triangle and exposed several accomplices who were complicit in Donna’s lethal scheme.

Gail Fulton was remembered by those who knew her as a compassionate and devoted individual, deeply committed to her family and her Catholic beliefs. “She was brilliant, very smart,” recalled friend Sylvia Morales. “She could do anything she wanted to do.”

Gail Fulton is Shot to Death

It seemed as though the family may finally be able to put down roots and so Gail began a career as a librarian.

But her life was cut short on Oct. 4, 1999. Investigators learned Gail left the library after her shift and drove away, only to return to the parking lot minutes later because of car trouble.

According to Michael Bouchard of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Gail’s tire had been slashed which “raised even more concern that this was very targeted.” 

Surveillance footage captured Gail pulling back into the parking lot, just as another car pulled up and a figure got out and opened fire, shooting Gail three times. The shooter and two other people were seen riding in the unknown vehicle.

“For me it was like part of my heart was ripped out to be shot and killed like that, execution style, for a little tiny woman that would never expect anything bad to happen to her,” Morales shared. “It’s unbelievable to me.”

George Fulton’s Cross-Country Affair is Uncovered

Gail’s husband and son Andrew arrived at the library and were given the devastating news.

“The husband didn’t seem to be very emotional about the situation,” Bouchard remembered.“Often times when there’s a death you look at the spouse as the first place to go.” 

George and his son were taken back to the station, where they were interviewed separately. Although George told authorities there were no problems in his relationship with Gail, Andrew told investigators that his dad was having an affair.

After being confronted with the allegation, George admitted to having an affair with Donna, a businesswoman in Florida he’d met several years earlier at a hotel bar. As the affair got underway, Donna arranged to hire George’s company to give him an excuse to make frequent trips to Florida. 

As Oakland County Sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Bill Harvey explained, “She had a medical care company so she hired his company to take care of their paperwork, their finances, taxes, everything else.”

Donna Trapani Proposes Unusual Arrangement 

At the time of his wife’s murder, George told authorities that he’d been at home on the phone with Donna. Investigators later reached out to her and confirmed that she was in Florida when the shooting took place, seemingly giving her an unshakable alibi.

George told police that six months earlier he tried to end the affair, but Donna told him that she was pregnant with his child and dying of cancer. 

As Gail’s daughter Emily Fulton told police, just three months before Gail’s death, George had arranged a meeting between the two women where Donna begged Gail to divorce George so that she could spend her final remaining months with him, asking Gail to then help George raise the child after her death.

“Then Donna wanted to speak to my mother by herself,” Emily explained. “And so Donna and my mother were in the room alone together, and Donna told my mother, ‘This won’t end until one of us is dead.’”

Heartbroken, Gail refused the arrangement and George decided to stay with his wife, hoping to make the marriage work. 

“My mother never brought it up again,” Emily told Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins. “I know it may sound weird, we just went about our own lives and it just never got discussed again. There’s a lot that goes on in there. I think a lot of it had to do with her faith, that when you’re a Catholic, you don’t get divorced. You marry for life.”

Investigators Get Tip About New Set of Suspects

Through analysis of the surveillance footage, investigators determined that the suspect vehicle had been a newer Malibu four-door car with a broken tail light.

Yet, it was impossible to pinpoint the exact vehicle. Then, investigators received a tip from a man in Florida who claimed he’d been contacted by his ex-girlfriend Sybil Padgett and her new boyfriend Patrick Alexander about carrying out a hit in Michigan. The tipster refused the job, but it gave detectives a new direction to investigate. 

Investigators were not only able to link Sybil to a Chevy Malibu with a broken taillight, but they also learned that she worked for Donna. 

After she was brought in for questioning, Sybil admitted that she’d been approached by Donna to find someone to carry out the hit, alleging in the interview that Donna had threatened to turn her in for smoking pot if she didn’t cooperate. Feeling pressured, Sybil and Patrick recruited truck driver Kevin Ouelette to serve as the trigger man.

During a search of Sybil’s house, they found a map to Michigan—which was found to have all four suspects fingerprints on it—and news articles about Gail’s death.

Investigators Conclude Donna Tripani Was “Ring Leader”

Although Donna initially tried to pin the crime on Sybil and Patrick—insisting they had been acting alone—investigators weren’t buying her story, especially they discovered she’d been lying about the pregnancy and cancer diagnosis. 

As retired Major Crimes Prosecutor Paul Walton said, “Donna Tripani had, if anything else, proven to be a very manipulative personality and effective liar.”

A search of her home also uncovered a picture of Gail and a list of instructions, including Gail’s address and work schedule. Investigators even uncovered a suicide note Donna wrote pretending to be Gail, claiming that Gail realized Donna was truly in love with George and deserved to be with him.

“Donna was the ring leader,” Harvey said. “She was the puppet master in all of this.”

All four suspects were arrested. Detectives concluded that George had not been involved in the plot to take his wife’s life and he was never charged.

Patrick and Kevin pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against their co-defendants. 

Sybil and Donna were found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder at trial. Donna, Sybil and Kevin all received sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, while Patrick received 40 years in prison for the crime.

Emily is now a life coach and public speaker, honoring her mom’s legacy by trying to help others.

“I think it’s important for other women to see just how easily someone can be broken down in an abusive marriage,” she said. “Mental, emotional abuse doesn’t look obvious. It’s these hidden scars that no one can see, but it’s inside of you.”