New information has emerged in the case of a Colorado man who allegedly shot his wife and then waited hours before contacting emergency services. David O’Grady, 37, is facing charges of first-degree murder and domestic violence, as per the records of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident took place on the morning of September 7, at the couple’s home in Aurora. The victim was O’Grady’s wife, 29-year-old Taylor Dawn Last. O’Grady initially claimed that he had been attempting to resuscitate his wife for about an hour before calling 911. However, investigators now believe that he waited several hours before making the call.
According to the initial charging document, O’Grady informed the dispatcher that he had been “clearing his gun” when it accidentally discharged, striking his wife in the chest. However, when sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene around 7:45 a.m., O’Grady allegedly stated that his wife had been dead for several hours.
At the time of the incident, the couple’s two children, aged 6 and 4, were asleep in the house, as was O’Grady’s mother. Deputies found Last’s body “lying on her back on the ground, with her left arm on her chest,” according to the affidavit. The body was described as “cold and stiff to the touch,” indicating that she had been dead for some time.
In his initial interview, O’Grady reportedly confessed that he and Last had been arguing about a party. He allegedly admitted that he knew the gun was loaded, fired a round into the bed, and then aimed the gun at Taylor and pulled the trigger as she entered the room.
The couple’s children, who were sleeping in a room across a narrow hallway from their parents’ bedroom, reportedly told investigators that they heard loud arguing and a bang that caused them to jump out of bed. They also claimed to have seen O’Grady throw something at Last before she fell onto the bed with her hands in the air. However, none of the items the children claimed to have seen were present when law enforcement arrived.
In a GoFundMe campaign, Last’s aunt described her niece’s death as an “unimaginable tragedy” and a “tragic act of domestic violence.” She stated that Last was a loving mother to her two daughters and that her death has left the girls without both parents, as their father is now in jail.