WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Winchester neighborhood became a crime scene Friday night when police discovered two people dead from an apparent murder-suicide, including a suspect with a documented history of domestic violence.
Police found 35-year-old Ava Brantley and 38-year-old Tyler Snowden dead inside a residence. Investigators believe Snowden killed Brantley before taking his own life.
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"We did locate the male's vehicle parked on a side street behind us, and we believe he parked and walked behind the residences and broke into the back window of the residence, so we feel confident that he's the perpetrator and he's come on the scene and he took her life before he took his own," Police Chief Travis Thompson said.
Winchester Police say Snowden and Brantley had previously been in a relationship. Just one day before the shooting, Brantley filed for an emergency protective order against Snowden, and a domestic violence order was granted by the court, according to Thompson.
Court records reveal this wasn't Snowden's first domestic violence incident. Last September, police arrested Snowden after witnesses said he tried to run over a girlfriend. In an arrest citation, an officer wrote that the "victim stated she was struck by the truck, and was scared and thought Tyler was going to kill her, because he has told her he would previously."
Snowden was charged with assault under extreme emotional disturbance and wanton endangerment, to which he pleaded guilty. Last month, he was sentenced to seven years in prison but was granted diversion for two years.
Under the diversion terms, Snowden wasn't allowed to access firearms, was subject to random drug testing and anger management counseling, and was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
Only one month into his diversion program, Snowden found himself involved in another domestic dispute with someone else. This time, it would turn deadly.
