This week Bride Killa spotlights the killing of Robert McKernan, who was shot ten times by his military trained wife of eight months – Colleen McKernan.
New Year’s Eve 2014 in Massillon, Stark County, and Colleen made a 911 call saying that she’d just shot her husband Rob and was performing CPR on him
When paramedics arrived they found 29-year-old Rob dead, with gunshots to his face, chest and side. Nearby there was a gun, shell casings and bits of his teeth.
26-year-old Colleen was taken into custody by police and later told them she shot her husband after he’d attack her, though detectives could find no injuries on her and there was no sign of a struggle in the house.
At the trial the coroner revealed that Rob had been shot 10 times and that he’d been shot in the face from less than two feet away. The autopsy also found that most of the victim’s major organs had been hit and that he was intoxicated, though there was no sign of drugs in his system.
Colleen was charged with murder ,but two different juries failed to reach agreement on whether it was manslaughter or murder. Eventually she pled guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and was given a seven year sentence.
As to the motive, well the couple were well known for having a volitile relationship and they had been both drinking and arguing on the night of the killing. Colleen claimed he’d been violent in the past and on the night of the killing he’d manhandled her several times, screaming into her face. She told the court that Rob was coming towards her with his arms up when she shot him, fearing he was about to seriously assault or even kill her.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelBride Killa airs on Fridays at 9:00 PM on Investigation Discovery.