A 66-year-old Cornville man was booked into Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde on Wednesday, April 28, on a single charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Vonda Adams, according to Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect is accused of shooting Adams one time in the upper body, possibly the head, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Dwight D’Evelyn said.
The suspect, who is scheduled to be arraigned in Yavapai County Superior Court Thursday, April 29, is cooperating with the investigation, D’Evelyn said.
The suspect reportedly shot Adams with a handgun during an altercation at his trailer home located in the 2600 block of Kadomoto Drive. D’Evelyn was unable to identify the type of handgun used in the shooting.
Verde Valley Fire District emergency responders were called to the scene shortly after 1 p.m., D’Evelyn said. They attempted to revive Adams at the scene but she was pronounced dead shortly before 1:30 p.m.
YCSO investigators arrived on scene and cordoned off the street in front of the dead woman’s trailer shortly before 1:30 p.m., he said.
D’Evelyn declined to describe the circumstances leading up to the shooting because YCSO detectives are still interviewing witnesses.
The suspect, who received medical treatment at the scene for elevated blood pressure, apparently had a relationship with Adams, but D’Evelyn declined to characterize it.
Adams’ body was still in the home as of 4 p.m. April 28, as YCSO detectives waited for judge to issue a warrant giving permission to search the home.
At least two witnesses were present at the time of the shooting or situated very nearby, D’Evelyn said.
YCSO deputies had been to the scene numerous times in the past in response to reports of domestic violence, said Gwen Stalo, a neighbor and friend of Adams.
Editor’s Note
The name of the suspect was omitted from the online story due to liability issues. Pick up next week’s Wednesday edition to find out the suspects name and learn more about the story.
Photos by Michele Bradley/Larson Newspapers
A neighborhood dog stops at the crime scene line near the corner of Kadomoto Drive and Drake Lane in Cornville where Vonda Adams, 46, was fatally shot at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28.
A woman who identified herself to YCSO deputies as the daughter of a man being detained for questioning because deputies believe him to be a witness to the fatal shooting of Cornville resident Vonda Adams, 46, April 28, appears grief-stricken after learning the identity of the woman killed.
