DAYTONA BEACH, FL – A man in Florida has been convicted of the murder of his wife, an act he carried out in the presence of her parents, who had come to assist her that day.

Following a brief trial, a Volusia County jury found 37-year-old Shantell Adkins guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault. State attorneys announced the verdict on Wednesday, which came after just 17 minutes of deliberation.

The tragic incident unfolded on October 19, 2023, on Fulton Street in Daytona Beach. An escalating argument between Shantell Adkins and his wife, Shawntai Adkins, 34, prompted her to seek help from her parents. The tension reached a deadly peak when Shawntai’s parents arrived and attempted to help her leave the home.

As Shawntai’s parents escorted her out, Shantell Adkins took drastic action, fatally shooting his wife in the neck with a rifle. Shawntai succumbed to her injuries at the scene.

Volusia County’s State Attorney R.J. Larizza expressed the heartbreak of the case, underscoring the tragic loss of life and the additional threat posed to Shawntai’s parents. The case, he remarked, is yet another example of the dire consequences of domestic violence.

In an alarming turn of events on that same October evening, after taking his wife’s life, Shantell Adkins turned the gun on himself, inflicting a shoulder wound. Responding officers found him in the yard and swiftly transported him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Court documents revealed that tensions had been brewing earlier that day. Shawntai discovered evidence of her husband’s infidelity through messages on his Apple Watch, prompting her to declare her intent to divorce him to her mother.

The same day, a disagreement erupted over Shantell allegedly taking Shawntai’s motorcycle while intoxicated, despite his recent admission to an alcohol recovery center.

The unfolding of this day provided poignant insight into the circumstances leading up to the tragic incident. Shawntai took the step to involve her parents due to escalating threats, which culminated in the fatal shooting at around 6:30 p.m.