Robert Ray Kelly has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
GARLAND, Texas — Garland police have arrested a suspect in the shooting death of a 36-year-old woman in January, officials say.
The suspect, Robert Ray Kelly, turned himself in Monday. He has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Accord ing to Garland police, Stephanie Wenneberg was shot and killed by Kelly just after 2 a.m. on Jan. 21 near the Lake Colony Apartment complex on the 4500 block of Chaha Road in Garland.
Nancy Savaterre, Wenneberg’s mother, said her daughter and a friend were in the parking lot when Kelly got into an altercation with them. Nancy says her daughter’s friend and Kelly were previously in a relationship. That’s when she said Stephanie stepped in to de-escalate the situation—but instead, she was shot.
Wenneberg was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
“All your emotions come, and you don’t want to believe it,” Savattere said. “It’s like a knife in your heart. It’s disbelief at this point.”
Wenneberg was a mother to three boys and a woman who loved being around friends.
“My firstborn daughter. When I first learned this news, everything flashed in front of me,” Wenneberg said. “God has a plan, and there’s a purpose in life. I feel maybe that was her purpose, to protect her friend.”
Kelly is currently in the Garland Jail and has two bonds totaling $1.175 million.
