High school coach kills student inside her home before shooting himself in devastating murder-suicide
Bedford High School graduate Gwendolyn Smith, 17, was allegedly shot multiple times by Ryne Leist, 38, a former volunteer coach with the school's bowling club.
The incident took place inside her stepfather's home in Bedford Township on June 14, Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.
Smith's stepfather Matthew Kennerson discovered the scene after he returned home around 6pm.
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough confirmed Leist died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Smith's death was ruled a homicide.
Authorities have not said how Leist, who was married and a father-of-one, entered the home, nor have they detailed any possible motive.
'At this time, the point of entry and access remains under investigation,' Goodnough said during a press conference.
The sheriff also declined to elaborate on the nature of the relationship between the teen and her former coach but said: 'Gwendolyn did not consider the relation between the two of them to be romantic'.
Leist, who had recently resigned from his job at a local bowling alley, had previously worked with the school's bowling club, but was not an official employee of Bedford Public Schools.
He had passed all required background checks to volunteer with youth sports in Michigan, Superintendent Carl Shultz told WTOL.
In a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook, Shultz said Smith was as 'an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community'.
He wrote: 'It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic and heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our own - Gwendolyn Smith, a 2025 graduate of Bedford School. Gwen will be remembered for her kindness, her bright spirit, and the joy she brought to those around her.'
The teen's stepmother, Heather Smith, expressed the family's devastation in an emotional Facebook post.
She said: 'We aren't supposed to outlive our children. Everyone loved Gwen. She was kind, talented and the best kid an evil stepmother could ask for. My middle daughter, my baby, was murdered.'
Kennerson had proudly celebrated his stepdaughter's graduation just two weeks earlier, sharing a smiling photo of her in cap and gown.
'Really proud stepdad!' he wrote at the time. Two weeks later, he added a heartbreaking update: 'Love you forever… I'm so sorry I couldn't save you…'
Shultz has since launched a GoFundMe to support the family, which has raised over $18,000.
He told reporters: 'I was compelled to really help them out and make sure they had the resources necessary to be able to take care of what they needed to due to this horrible tragedy,' he told reporters.
'I'm always a parent first, I'm an educator second. But as a parent, I don't know how you get up the next day. They're extremely strong and they're doing everything they can to hold everything together, but I was just trying to help out as much as I could.
'This tragic and unnecessary loss cannot be explained,' Shultz said. 'It has shaken our entire Bedford community, and our hearts and prayers go out to Gwen's family and the many friends whose lives she touched so deeply.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Staff slowly return to 345 Park Avenue one week after New York's Midtown mass shooting
A New York City office building where a gunman killed four people then himself has reopened a week after the deadly shootings. On Monday, workers trickled back into 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, a skyscraper home to high-profile tenants including the NFL and asset management firm Blackstone. New York City police officers and a police dog were seen guarding the building, where a memorial and bouquets of flowers paid tribute the victims of the shooting: NYPD detective Didarul Islam, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, Rudin Management employee Julia Hyman and security officer Aland Etienne. An NFL employee was also wounded in the attack. Blackstone employee Erma Hernandez told CBS News of returning to the building, "You think about your family. You think about your loved ones. You think about the lives that were lost and all the fear that came to us on Monday. But, again, we are here and it feels so much better to be in the office today to kind of go through this together.' Blackstone employees were given the option of returning to the office or continuing to work from home and the NFL has reportedly told staff to continue working remotely until at least the end of the week. Those who went into the office reported a quieter than normal atmosphere around the building. "I feel a little sad because I don't see a lot of my customers, they are like family, they come every day," Maribel Macedo, the owner of Eggstravaganza food truck, told ABC 7 New York. The nearby St. Bartholomew's church plans to host a public interfaith prayer service Monday evening. Gunman Shane Tamura drove across the country from Las Vegas to the New York building where he last week fired 47 shots from an assault rifle in a shooting that spanned multiple floors of the Manhattan tower. Tamura, 27, said in a note he believed he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition, that has been linked to the head trauma endured in contact sports such as football. CTE can only be diagnosed in studies of the brain after death. The Nevada man, who played football in high school, appeared to target the building because of its tie to the NFL, officials said. A former high school teammate told The Independent that Tamura took 'some big hits' that left him 'looking empty' during his football career. Medical examiners plan to examine Tamura's brain as part of the autopsy process.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
South Australian man kills wife and then himself weeks after facing domestic violence charges
A South Australian man murdered his wife before taking his own life, just weeks after facing domestic violence charges. The bodies of mum Shafeeqa Shah, 41, and her husband Mirza Husseiniwere, 47, were found on Sunday night at their home in Bordertown, South Australia. 'Police believe the man took his own life after murdering the woman,' said Acting Assistant Commissioner Cath Hilliard. She confirmed Husseiniwere was known to police due to a previous domestic violence incident. 'However, there were no current court-imposed restrictions preventing contact between them,' she added. 'It's a tragic circumstance for the family and the community, and all emergency responders who were attending.' The couple had six children.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Haunting 'dolls house' that takes you room-by-room through Bryan Kohberger's student slaughter
The home where four University of Idaho students were slaughtered by mass killer Bryan Kohberger has been frozen in time in a 3D model built by state prosecutors. The three-story property at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, was once a place of youthful fun where five young women were enjoying college life with their friends. On November 13, 2022, the house was transformed into a horror crime scene when Kohberger broke in and stabbed to death Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. One year later in December 2023, the home was demolished to rid the college town of the painful visual reminder of what had taken place - against some of the victims' families wishes. 'It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there,' University of Idaho President Scott Green said at the time. 'While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue.' Now, days after Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, photos of a 3D reconstruction of the home have been released by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's office, giving a glimpse inside every room of the home. The images show the interior and exterior of the home, detailing the layout of the rooms belonging to the victims and survivors. The model house is not furnished as it was when the murders took place. It was built by the prosecutor's office to be used as a demonstrative aid at Kohberger's capital murder trial. The 30-year-old criminology PhD student's defense team had objected to the so-called 'doll house' being presented to the jury, arguing that it was not to scale. Prosecutors argued a 'to-scale' model was not necessary for the structure's purpose to show jurors the floor plan layout and be a helpful tool for witnesses when explaining their testimony. Judge Steven Hippler ruled that prosecutors could use the model house during trial, but only for demonstrative purposes - and not as evidence. But on July 2, Kohberger changed his plea, pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. The bombshell plea hearing came after he struck a controversial deal with prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in an emotional hearing in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal. Kohberger is now being held in solitary confinement inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days. With the trial no longer going ahead, a broad gag order has been lifted and investigators and officials connected to the case have released never-before-seen evidence and records. In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Thompson revealed for the first time that Kohberger collected creepy trophies from women in his past life. At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was in possession of 'ID-type cards' belonging to two women he knew years before the murders. At least one of the women was the killer's former colleague at the Pleasant Valley School District in Pennsylvania. Kohberger attended Pleasant Valley School District schools growing up, graduating from the high school in 2013. He then worked part time as a security officer for the district from 2016 through 2021, while pursuing his studies in psychology and criminology. Kohberger's parents also worked for the district, Michael as a maintenance worker and MaryAnn a special needs paraprofessional. The IDs were found hidden inside a glove inside a box during a search executed at Kohberger's family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, following his December 30, 2022, arrest. The prosecutor - whose decision to strike a plea deal with the mass killer divided the victims' families - said the discovery came as a surprise to both women. Neither of the women had been 'harmed or threatened,' Thompson said. As well as sharing new information about evidence in the case, Thompson revealed for the first time which of Kohberger's family members would have testified against him at trial. Prosecutors previously revealed plans to call some of Kohberger's immediate family members - his parents and two older sisters Amanda and Melissa - as witnesses for the state. Which family members and why remained a mystery, with the details kept under seal. Thompson told the Idaho Statesman the plan had been to call Kohberger's sister Amanda and either his mother or father if the case went to trial. He did not divulge the exact reasoning for this. But, as the trial date loomed, the state decided against calling any of the Kohberger family because they weren't the 'best witnesses' and they had not shared anything 'substantively incriminating' during police interviews. Moscow Police have also released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest. The records include details of eerie encounters the students had at 1122 King Road before they were murdered. Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day. The home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 20, 2022 - one week on from the murders It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders. Other documents reveal that, following Kohberger's arrest, several women came forward to police about creepy interactions they had with Kohberger. One unidentified woman claimed to have matched with Kohberger on Tinder in September or October 2022 - just weeks before the murders. The woman broke contact with Kohberger after he allegedly asked her a chilling question: what did she think would be the worst way to die? She told police that when she told him by knife, he responded with an eerie comment to the effect of, 'like a Ka-Bar?' Around one month later, Kohberger is believed to have used a Ka-Bar knife to slaughter his victims. Despite the flurry of new information released and Kohberger's guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims. Kohberger refused to shed any light on the murders or provide any answers at his sentencing.
