In Michigan, Jennifer Dana Moore is accused of open murder in the April 22 death of Joseph Wayne Worley.

CHESHIRE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 44-year-old woman has been charged with open murder after authorities said she shot her boyfriend in the back of the head at their Allegan County home on April 22.

Jennifer Dana Moore is accused in the death of Joseph Wayne Worley, 52, after a shooting reported shortly after 10 p.m. at a home on East Baseline Road in Cheshire Township. The case moved quickly from an emergency call to a murder charge after deputies said Moore told dispatchers and officers that she had shot him. She has not been convicted, and the charge remains an allegation as the case proceeds in court.

The first account of the night came from Moore herself, according to police and court records described in local reports. She called 911 and told a dispatcher, “I just shot my boyfriend.” Deputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office went to the home near 36th Street, not far from the Van Buren County line. When they arrived, they found Moore on the front porch. Police said she went back inside as deputies approached, forcing officers to keep watch from outside before ordering her out of the home. They later entered and found Worley inside with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head.

Investigators said the shooting followed an argument after the couple returned from dinner in Paw Paw. Moore told detectives that she made a comment that upset Worley, and that he went into a bedroom and locked the door. She said she asked him to open it. When he came out, police said Moore grabbed a revolver that was in the room. The affidavit said Moore admitted pointing the gun at the back of Worley while he was walking toward the kitchen. She then made a hand motion as if firing a gun and described the motion as “like Doc Holliday,” investigators said. Moore told detectives the revolver went off because it had no safety and that she did not mean to shoot Worley.

The physical evidence described by police gave investigators a scene to compare with Moore’s account. Officers said Worley was found on the floor near the kitchen and living room area. A black revolver was recovered from the kitchen counter, according to court documents cited in reports. Investigators also noted a bullet hole in a bedroom television, which appeared to show that the gun had discharged inside the bedroom before the fatal shot. Police have not publicly reported a full forensic timeline, and records cited in the case do not state who owned the gun, how many rounds were fired in total or whether alcohol was a factor that night.

Deputies described Moore as distraught when they reached the home. According to the affidavit, she was crying and repeatedly said, “I shot him” and “I killed him” while officers watched her from outside. Officers said they could see Worley’s feet through a window as Moore stood over him. First responders pronounced Worley dead at the scene. The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office has said the case remains under investigation, with help from Allegan City Police, Michigan State Police, Bloomingdale Fire Department, Life EMS, the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and the Allegan County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The charge filed against Moore was open murder, a Michigan count that allows prosecutors to present evidence before the degree of murder is resolved. At her arraignment in Allegan County’s 57th District Court, prosecutors argued that Moore should not be released. Magistrate Meredith Beidler ordered her held without bond. Beidler said the case involved one of the most serious charges and cited the danger prosecutors said Moore posed, as well as concerns about flight risk and her limited ties to the local community. Moore appeared by video for the hearing, where the court set the first steps in the district court process.

The death also left neighbors trying to understand what had happened inside a home they said the couple had only recently moved into. The residence sits in a rural part of southern Allegan County, near Baseline Lake and a short drive from the Gobles area. Local reports described the home as a rental. The setting gave the case a quiet backdrop, with a late-night 911 call bringing patrol vehicles and emergency crews to a road that normally draws little public attention. Police have not described any prior domestic calls at the address in the reports available so far.

Worley was remembered in an obituary as a devoted father, a master electrician and nuclear technician who held supervisory roles during his career. The obituary said he was hardworking and enjoyed the outdoors. Those details now stand beside the court record as the criminal case moves forward. Prosecutors will have to show that enough evidence exists to keep the charge moving toward circuit court. Moore’s statement that she did not intend to fire the weapon is expected to remain a key issue because investigators said she also admitted pointing the gun at Worley before it discharged.

For now, Moore is scheduled for a probable cause conference on May 7 and a preliminary examination on May 12. No later public outcome was found in the available reports reviewed for this article. As of the last reported court update, she remained jailed without bond while investigators and prosecutors prepared the next stage of the case.

Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.