On Aug. 8, Mary Schaffer headed to Spokane, Washington, to pick up her kids after they spent the summer with their Dad. Schaffer did not know that this trip would be her last as later on that day, she was shot dead in her car.
Nathan Beal, Schaffer’s ex-husband, is the prime suspect in the murder. Not only was her body found outside of his apartment, but he had also threatened her life in the past.
According to family members of Schaffer, Beal “often threatened to kill her, and said four years ago that she ‘needed to be shot.'” She did not even feel safe living in the same state as Beal.
The day Schaffer went to get her kids, she planned to meet Beal in a public setting. In case “things went south,” she was texting her boyfriend, according to court documents. Her boyfriend was supposed to accompany her on the trip but got called into work.
Very fearful of her life, Schaffer did ask the police to escort her to the apartment building, but they declined, stating that they do not get involved with family law. Spokane police later said they were unaware of this request.
Around noon, Schaffer informed her boyfriend and one of her siblings that she had arrived at the apartment, but, “then she went quiet.”
According to the BuzzFeed News, “hours later, a 911 caller reported seeing a woman slumped over in a car in that area. Police found a gunshot wound to her head. The woman was later identified as Schaffer.”
Unfortunately, Schaffer’s brother and the rest of her siblings, “knew this was coming, because Beal has not concealed his hatred of Mary and his plan to shoot her.”
Schaffer, a brain tumor survivor, will be remembered as a “kind and caring person who loved her children.”
Beal has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His bail is set for $1 million.
