FLORIDA: 3 Family Members Passed, Child Survives
A quiet Florida evening turned into horror when a domestic violence shooting in Hilliard left three women dead and a five-year-old girl as the sole survivor. Authorities say 34-year-old Christopher Bobby Rowell killed his wife, 32-year-old Marissa Rowell, her sister, 33-year-old Alisha Fogarty, and their mother, 71-year-old Sandra Fogarty, before turning the gun on himself. He was found with a faint pulse and later died in the hospital.
According to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper, the little girl was in the back of the house when she heard a gunshot. She saw one victim on the floor before another woman pulled her into a bathroom. In shock but unharmed, she escaped to a neighbor’s home for help. Deputies later found the three women in different rooms of the house, along with Rowell and an SKS-style rifle.
Family members say Marissa had been preparing to leave Rowell and take the child with her. Cousin Steven Hallmark described a history of controlling and abusive behavior, including threats, drinking, and late-night yelling. “He took the lives of three beautiful women,” Steven said. “She was just so happy to be a mom.” The child is now in the custody of Rowell’s mother, and the family has launched a GoFundMe to cover cremation costs, legal fees, and long-term care for the girl.
Neighbors say the tragedy has shaken the entire community. Steven urged others in abusive situations to seek help before it’s too late. As investigators work to understand the final moments of that night, the town is left grieving three lives lost and rallying around a child whose life was forever changed in an instant—a stark reminder of the devastating toll of domestic violence.
Domestic abuse help for women in forces community
Women serving in the armed forces and from military families can now access support for trauma and domestic abuse from a Devon charity.
Plymouth based-charity Trevi, which has more than 1,000 women seeking help each year, said it wanted to extend its “wrap-around therapeutic support” to women in Plymouth’s armed forces community.
The new support has been made possible thanks to £148,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant’s Free From Fear fund.
Amanda Greenwood, Trevi chief executive, said: “We can now expand our service and provide bespoke support for military communities.”
National research showed women serving, and those from military families, often faced barriers to disclosing domestic abuse – especially around confidentiality and career impact, Ms Greenwood said.
“Trevi’s new service offers an independent, confidential route to support for them,” she said.
She said the help for the armed forces was a natural extension to its work around violence against women and girls.
“What this funding means is we can now particularly work with a specific service and provide tailored support for women who are connected to the armed forces.
“We’ll be delivering this help through our Sunflower Women’s Centre in Plymouth, which is a safe, women-only space,” she added.
Carol Stone, director of grants at Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, said the Free from Fear programme aimed to build and strengthen support for those who experienced domestic abuse within the armed forces.
“It focuses on trauma-informed pathways and provides specialist support which considers the unique challenges victim-survivors in the military community can face,” said Ms Stone.
“Trevi’s project is helping women navigate the right paths to support and empowering them to move forward; and the trust is eager to see the positive difference this will make in the coming months and years.”