A Florida man was convicted of murdering his wife in front of her parents, who had come to her house to help her.
Shantell Adkins, 37, was convicted of first-degree murder with a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault following a two-day trial and 17-minute deliberation, the Volusia County State Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday.
On October 19, 2023, Adkins and his wife, Shawntai Adkins, 34, got into a fight at their Fulton Street home in Daytona Beach. As the argument heated up, she called her parents, according to authorities, and asked for their assistance.
When Shawntai Adkins’ parents arrived and led her out of the house, Shantell Adkins shot his wife in the neck with a rifle. She died at the scene.
“It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “Adkins murdered our victim in front of her parents, then threatened to do the same to them. “Another domestic murder, another devastated family.”
Shantell Adkins shot himself in the shoulder after shooting his wife that October evening, according to police. Arriving officers found him in the front yard and transported him to a nearby hospital.
Shawntai Adkins’ mother, who was not named, reportedly stated during a deposition that her daughter discovered her husband’s infidelity earlier in the day, learning of it through messages on his Apple Watch. The mother stated that her daughter vowed to divorce him.
Shawntai Adkins accused her husband of taking her motorcycle while intoxicated, just days after being admitted to an alcohol rehabilitation center, according to court documents reviewed by the outlet.
Later that day, Shawntai Adkins called her parents and invited them over. When the parents arrived around 6:30 p.m., her husband grabbed the rifle and shot his wife in the neck, according to police.
Shawntai Adkins’ father, who has not been identified, broke his leg while fleeing his son-in-law, according to the state attorney’s office, but he has recovered.
Shantell Adkins is set to receive a mandatory life sentence in prison on June 23.
