Who was Gary Stanton? Kentucky dad kills wife and young daughters before fatally shooting himself
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: The lives of a family of four were cut short recently after a murder-suicide incident. As per reports, Gary Stanton first gunned down his 49-year-old wife Mary Stanton, and daughters — Adrianna Stanton, 17, and Brianna Stanton, 11, before killing himself. The elder child was a student at duPont Manual High School while the younger one was a sixth grader at Noe Middle School.
The horror happened on East Pages Lane near Valley Station on December 3. Louisville Metro Police reportedly discovered the bodies of the four while the Jefferson County Coroner's Office declared that the 60-year-old man died because of a self-inflicted gunshot injury.
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Major Micah Scheu of the Louisville Metro Police Department said as reported by The Sun, “We feel pretty confident that the incident is going to be a murder-suicide situation where the adult male was a primary aggressor who shot the three females. It's very difficult any time lives are lost, any time juveniles are involved.”
Mary’s sister Emily Muchemi also shared her thoughts while remembering her slain sibling. She told WDRB, “Nothing seemed off. We talked and joked every day. Family was important to her and she worked hard to lift everyone up in the family.”
Muchemi then went on to talk about her elder niece as she stated, “She was a smart and responsible young lady with a bright future ahead of her,” before mentioning Brianna. She added, “Brianna was full of life. She got along well with everyone.” Muchemi also claimed that the reported murder-suicide took place not long after the burial of her and Mary’s father in Kenya. “Our hearts are not even healed from dad's sudden death and now this,” Muchemi revealed.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the incident, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) issued a statement that reportedly read, “This loss might raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school, especially with our students. Our goal is to assist our school family in understanding grief and to provide some helpful suggestions for coping.”
Besides, Amber Jaggers, Noe Middle School Assistant Principal, said as reported by WLKY, “I want our school community, the families, the students to know that we don't have all the answers, but we're here to support them with anything they need. It's incomprehensible. You ask yourself why. You're sad, upset.”
Jaggers added, “The best thing that parents can do is to be as honest and as transparent as possible. Allow the child to ask them questions, and it's ok if parents don't know the answers. We want them to know that we are here anytime, any day that they need us.”
A GoFundMe has been started to help the grieving relatives of the slain family. It says, “On November 12th, the Muchemi family laid to rest their beloved father in Kenya following his sudden death in Washington State. With the family still reeling from that, we are saddened by another tragic event.
“Police in Louisville, Kentucky, have confirmed the murder of Mary Njoki Muchemi Stanton, Brianna Stanton, Adrianne Stanton from gunshot wounds and Gary Stanton from a self-inflicted gunshot. This incident happened on December 2nd, 2022. Njoki is Emily's younger sister, who was living in Louisville, Kentucky, with her immediate family at the time of her passing.”
We are appealing to friends and all well-wishers in the community to contribute. The immense financial and emotional burden of laying this family to rest calls for us to come together. As we support this family, let's not forget others in our community that may need help. Here are some significant numbers; National Suicide Help Line 1-800-273-TALK (8255) National Suicide text 988,” the fundraiser added.