The husband of a late Arizona prosecutor made headlines over the holidays for a suicide-murder case. The police said he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her mother at a holiday gathering before fatally shooting himself.
The Christmas Eve murder-suicide unfolded at the home of David DeNitto, widower of late Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel. Hence, the Phoenix Police Department identified 47-year-old DeNitto as the man responsible for the murder-suicide.
According to reports, officers got to DeNitto’s house in northern Phoenix on December 24, 2023, at about 11:30 p.m. local time. However, they found two women with gunshot wounds. Although they rushed the women to a nearby hospital, the doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.
Also, the police said they found DeNitto dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Afterward, authorities identified the victims as Cynthia Domini, 83, and Maryalice Cash, 47. According to reports, Cash and DeNitto were in a relationship.
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The police added that witnesses said Cash and DeNitto had been arguing just before gunfire erupted. “It was some kind of fight, some kind of altercation,” Phoenix police spokesperson Donna Rossi told NBC News. “I don’t know the subject matter.”
DeNitto’s late wife, Adel, became the prosecutor of Arizona’s largest county in 2019. She rose to the position after then-Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery moved to the state’s high court. Hence, property records show that DeNitto and Adel owned a home on the same block where the shooting occurred.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Adel’s successor, confirmed the identity of the victims in a news release. “It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this. Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow,” Mitchell said.
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“I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and, most especially, Allister’s children,” she added. “I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness, and respect for the need for privacy.” DeNitto’s late wife, Adel, served as Maricopa County attorney from 2019 to 2022.
She was the first woman to hold a prominent prosecutorial position. During her brief stay in the office, Adel updated pretrial diversion programs, created a prosecution integrity unit, and changed plea policies. Also, she created community advisory boards.
In addition, Adel fired Juan Martinez, the office’s storied death penalty prosecutor who faced sexual harassment and misconduct allegations. Although they later dropped the charges, Adel’s office drew criticism when her office charged 15 Black Lives Matter protesters.
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However, things turned tragic the night she won a narrow election in 2020. Adel became sick, and doctors hospitalized her for a brain hemorrhage. Then, in 2021, the late prosecutor took time away from work to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse and eating disorders.
Consequently, top deputies questioned Adel’s ability to lead the office before she stepped down on March 25, 2022. Some weeks later, on April 30, Adel died from what DeNitto cited as “health complications.” The tragic suicide-murder incident left the community shaken through the holidays, and many empathized with Adel’s children.
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