Phoenix woman's 'huge sacrifice' for mom came before both were killed by county attorney's widower

For the last few years, Maryalice Cash pushed through loss and grief, all while caring for her ailing mother, Cynthia Domini.

Following a Christmas Eve filled with excessive drinking at a north Phoenix home, Cash’s beau, David DeNitto, fatally fired his AR-15-style semiautomatic gun at the two women before the widower to former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel took his life with the same rifle.

"Just never saw it coming," Keith Domini, son to Cynthia Domini and brother to Cash, told The Arizona Republic about the murder-suicide.

Cash, a 47-year-old Phoenix real estate agent and mother, saw her mom, Cynthia Domini, 83, diagnosed with dementia in 2021 — the same year her father died at 82. A couple of years later, Lisa Domini, the eldest of the five Domini children, died of cancer at 55.

Maryalice, known as Molly, embraced the role of caregiver to her mom, who was known as Cindy. Without hesitation, she moved into her mother’s uptown Phoenix townhouse.

"A huge sacrifice," Keith, 54, said about his younger sister rearranging her life for their mother.

Phoenix police: County attorney's widower drank heavily before fatal Christmas Eve shooting

Family growth

Cindy Smith moved from St. Louis to attend Arizona State University. She would become a teacher for the Maricopa County Accommodations Schools.

Renny Domini, a son of Italian immigrants and a former U.S. Army officer, made his way to the Valley from Pennsylvania to work as an engineer at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Cindy and Renny wed in 1967 and started a family. She would take a break as a teacher, then return years later to the profession and retire. Eventually, their parents relocated to Arizona.

The Domini children would give their parents eight grandkids, the oldest being Cash’s 26-year-old son, Winfield. The young man grew up spending a lot of time with his maternal grandma, who doted after him.

Although Cindy and Renny divorced in the early 1990s, they remained close for the sake of their children and would spend Christmases together. Cindy was an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, having refound her passion for baseball late in life in the Valley — a passion she nurtured as a St. Louis Cardinals fan in youth. Mobility issues, however, eventually impaired her from cheering on the team from the stands at Chase Field.

Meanwhile, Cash’s love abounded for her son, her parents, her siblings and her state.

"Nobody was a bigger cheerleader for Arizona than Molly was," Keith said.

Between Winfield, her extended family and an active social life, Cash stayed busy as a real estate agent for the KB Group. Then came the losses. Within the short period when her dad and sister died, Cash’s best friend also died, her boss, Phil Tibi, told The Republic.

'Family was everything to her': Mother, daughter killed on Christmas Eve in Phoenix remembered as family to all

Serious relationship

The three Domini brothers could trust that their younger sister would pull through for their mom. While Keith took the elderly dogs — a papillon and a rat terrier — their mother could no longer look after, Cash volunteered to take care of her day-to-day needs.

Domini had stopped doing so much of what she loved, like walking her two dogs around the neighborhood and attending Catholic mass weekly. Still, Cash ensured her mother could enjoy being a sports spectator among fellow fans by taking her to McKenzie’s Midtown Tavern, off Seventh Street and the Grand Canal waterway.

Even as she immersed herself in tending to her mother’s needs, like driving her to doctor appointments, the weight of the responsibilities was heavy.

"Your entire life becomes that situation," Keith Domini said about Cash becoming a caregiver for their mother. "It certainly changed her."

Cash began spending less time with friends. But then someone she had known since youth became a fixture in her life.

Cash and DeNitto met each other in high school when she attended Xavier College Preparatory and he was at Brophy College Preparatory.

Cash had gotten divorced several years ago. DeNitto, a financial adviser, lost his wife due to what he cited as "health complications." The 45-year-old Allister Adel's death came shortly after her resignation as the county’s chief prosecutor following concerns about her sobriety.

The once parochial school friends and now a divorcee and widower, Cash and DeNitto were in a serious relationship, Keith said. And she would spend a lot of time at his home with his two sons.

Drunken anger

A police report obtained by The Republic details the moments before the Dec. 24 shooting. Among those gathered at DeNitto’s house near Bethany Home Road and Seventh Avenue, including his two young sons; Cash; Cindy Domini; ; and Winfield and his girlfriend. Domini’s other son left before the carnage ensued.DeNitto became hostile, and he began rocking the chair Domini was seated on.

Keith said that being Domini’s caregiver, Cash received the brunt of the dementia their mother faced. The dementia led to a childlike mindset and temperament, Keith noted. Cash would try to manage Domini’s outbursts, which would regularly be perceived as arguments between the two, Keith explained.

According to the police report, witnesses and relatives described a strained relationship between Domini and DeNitto, who had been drinking heavily that night.

After ordering everyone out of his house, DeNitto attacked Cash. Winfield fought him back before driving off with his girlfriend. Winfield drove back, picking up DeNitto’s sons as their father fired his semiautomatic. DeNitto fired a total of 25 rounds.

Winfield and his girlfriend called 911 and returned to pick up his mom and grandmother, but the couple found DeNitto dead and both women wounded.

Cash and Domini died at a hospital early Christmas morning.

"It is really senseless," Keith said of their deaths.

A joint funeral for mother and daughter will be held at 11 a.m. on Jan. 27 at Saint Patrick Catholic Community at 10815 N. 84th St. in Scottsdale.

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @jrgzztx.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Woman cared for mom before Maricopa Co. attorney's widower killed both