Detective: Deadly Lexington domestic violence case was first reported as possible suicide
A deadly Lexington shooting was initially reported to police as a possible suicide before investigators discovered suspicious evidence at the scene, leading to the victim’s husband being charged with murder, according to a Lexington detective.
Yovany Chaple-Chalita, 46, is facing charges of murder-domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence after he is alleged to have shot and killed his wife Ashley Stamper, 35, on Aug. 17. Chaple-Chalita was arrested 10 days later on Aug. 27.
In a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning, Detective Kristyn Klingshirn from the Lexington Police Department said police were called to the 300 block of Linden Walk in August for a possible suicide. Police found Stamper with a gun next to her hand She had been shot once through the left arm, with the bullet having appeared to go through her chest, Klinghirn said in court testimony.
When the Fayette County Coroner’s Office was called, an official from the coroner’s office said the scene looked suspicious, according to testimony. It appeared to police that the body and the gun had been moved Klingshirn said this was determined through blood evidence at the scene.
Klingshirn said Chaple-Chalita was at the scene and agreed to come into police headquarters to be interviewed. Police noted several inconsistencies with Chaple-Chalita’s statements regarding his whereabouts when the shooting occurred, Klingshirn said. Cell phone data showed that Chaple-Chalita was at the Linden Walk residence when the shooting happened.
Chaple-Chalita told police in his interview he had been driving around Lexington and had gone to a gas station. Klingshirn said he did go to a gas station that day, but security camera footage showed he was not there at the time he said he was.
Police interviewed witnesses nearby who had personal security systems which picked up audio of a gunshot, Klingshirn said. The security systems also picked up audio of a woman screaming, and then a male’s voice. Witnesses told police that Chaple-Chalita and Stamper had a history of domestic violence.
Klingshirn said the camera did not pick up any visuals of the male, and nothing distinctive could be made of what the man was saying.
Judge Bruce Bell found probable cause for Chaple-Chalita’s charges and sent the case to a grand jury. The grand jury will not determine guilt but will decide if there’s enough evidence to indict Chaple-Chalita and send his case to circuit court.
