Phoenix police investigating Christmas Eve double murder-suicide

PHOENIX — A man shot and killed two others before killing himself in Phoenix late on Christmas Eve, Phoenix police said.

Officers responded to a call shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday night at a home near Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road.

They found two women, identified as 47-year-old Maryalice Cash and 83-year-old Cynthia Domini, both suffering from gunshot wounds. They were transported to the hospital and pronounced dead, police said.

The suspect, 47-year-old David De Nitto, was found dead in the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police determined.

De Nitto was the husband of former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who died in April 2022.

“It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this. Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement. “I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and most especially, Allister’s children. I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness and a respect for the need for privacy.”

Homicide detectives determined De Nitto and Cash were in a relationship and that an altercation occurred during a family gathering at the home prior to the shootings.

The investigation remains ongoing as detectives work through the details of what led to the shooting, police said.

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