Woman shoots boyfriend before fleeing to Alabama, killing self, deputies say
A woman shot and killed her boyfriend in Tampa on Wednesday morning before fleeing to Alabama and killing herself, deputies say.
The incident started just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies were called to the 9200 block of Shellgrove Court in Town ’N Country after a concerned family member called the sheriff’s office communications center.
When deputies arrived, they found Kelbys Avila, 50, dead from a gunshot wound. Detectives determined he was killed by his girlfriend, Maira Pacheco Nuñez, 58, who fled in a vehicle.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Pacheco Nuñez on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. Within an hour of the warrant being issued, deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama spotted Pacheco Nuñez’s vehicle.
When deputies made a traffic stop, Pacheco Nuñez shot and killed herself.
“This is a tragic and heartbreaking situation. Our hearts ache for the family of this man whose life was tragically ended,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the news release. “Violence is never an option. To anyone facing or anyone who suspects domestic violence, please remember: help is available, and you are not alone.”
How to get help
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Here’s how to reach Tampa Bay’s domestic violence agencies for help:
Hillsborough County: Call or text The Spring of Tampa Bay’s 24-hour crisis line at 813-247-7233 or visit thespring.org. The Talk to You line is 813-248-1050.
Pasco County: Contact Sunrise of Pasco County via its 24-hour hotline at 888-668-7273 or 352-521-3120, or go online to sunrisepasco.org.
Pinellas County: Contact Community Action Stops Abuse, or CASA, by calling the 24-hour hotline at 727-895-4912, texting casa-stpete.org/chat or visiting casapinellas.org. The Talk to You line is 727-828-1269.
Domestic violence warning signs
Abuser isolates victim from friends or family.
Victim is encouraged or forced to stop participating in activities important to them.
Abuser controls finances or puts victim on an allowance, asks for explanations of spending.
Victim is blamed for their feelings, yelled at or made to feel “small.”
Abuser criticizes and controls victim’s appearance, including what they can wear.
Abuser abandons victim in places they don’t know.
Abuser keeps victim from eating, sleeping or getting medical care.
Abuser throws or punches things around victim.
