ARIZONA – The husband of a former Arizona prosecutor shot and killed a woman and her mother at a holiday gathering on Sunday before fatally shooting himself, police said.

The Phoenix Police Department identified David DeNitto, 47, the husband of former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who died in April 2022, as the man they believe to be responsible for the murder-suicide on Christmas Eve.

Officers were called to the house in northern Phoenix on Sunday at about 11:30 p.m. local time and found two women with gunshot wounds. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead. DeNitto was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Authorities identified the victims as Cynthia Domini, 83, and Maryalice Cash, 47. Cash and DeNitto were in a relationship, according to "early information," police said, according to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Property records show DeNitto and Adel owned a home on the same block where Sunday's shooting occurred.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Adel's successor, confirmed the identity of the victims in a Monday news release.

"It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this. Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow," Mitchell said. "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."

Who was Allister Adel?

Allister Adel, who served as Maricopa County attorney from October 2019 until March 2022, was the first woman to hold the prominent prosecutorial position.

She updated pretrial diversion programs, created a prosecution integrity unit, changed plea policies and created community advisory boards. She also fired Juan Martinez, the office’s storied death penalty prosecutor who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Adel’s office drew criticism when her office charged 15 Black Lives Matter protesters arrested in 2020 as gang members. The charges were later dropped and resulted in more than $100 million in legal claims against the county. Near the end of her tenure in March 2022, Adel’s office was forced to drop 180 criminal cases after it failed to file drunken driving, domestic violence, assault and criminal damage cases for more than a year.

Adel entered a rehabilitation facility in August 2021 for anxiety, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.

Concerns related to the treatment she sought in rehab were echoed again in a February 2022 letter from five Maricopa County Attorney’s Office prosecutors who called for Adel’s resignation.

Adel resigned shortly after the discovery of the 180 criminal cases. Adel was hospitalized on her final day in office, March 25, 2022.

Six weeks later, Adel died after what her late husband cited as “health complications.”

“This May we would have 20 years of marriage. My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. We are so very proud to call Allister wife and mom,” said her husband, David DeNitto, at the time.

Contributing: Robert Anglen, Arizona Republic

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