Widower of ex-Maricopa County attorney killed 2, then shot himself. Here's what we know

Phoenix police said three people were dead after the widower of former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel killed a mother and daughter before turning the gun on himself on Christmas Eve, Sunday evening.

At about 11:30 p.m., officers were called to a shooting at a house near Palo Verde Drive and Second Avenue where they found two injured women and the suspect.

The two victims were identified as Cynthia Domini, 83, and her daughter Maryalice Cash, 47, who both were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Police said David DeNitto, 47, shot the two women before shooting himself.

Here's everything we know about the deadly incident and how it connects with Allister Adel.

How did the shooting happen?

Phoenix police said an altercation broke out at a holiday gathering late Sunday night before the shooting occurred sometime before midnight.

Police did not immediately say who else was in the house during the time of the shooting.

Police said they found DeNitto dead inside the house by the time they arrived.

"Details about what led up to the incident remain part of the ongoing investigation," Phoenix police Sgt. Melissa Soliz said.

Who were the victims?

The two victims were identified as Cynthia Domini, 83, and her daughter Maryalice Cash, 47.

Police said "early information" indicated Cash and the suspect DeNitto were in a relationship.

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

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

Cash, known by most as Molly, was a relationship-oriented person, according to Phil Tibi, who led Cash’s real estate group. She was a mother to one son and held strong bonds throughout the Phoenix community, Tibi said.

Tibi described his friend and longest-standing agent as “more family-oriented than work-oriented.” She kept diligent track of birthdays and anniversaries in the office, being sure to drop a friendly heads-up so important life events did not go unnoticed. She was the first agent to send a celebratory message when another closed on a good deal, too.

“Family was everything to her,” Tibi said. “We just knew each other for so long and so well. … She always had a motherly instinct about her. She was a very strong personality.”

The years leading up to her death were filled with personal tragedy as Cash grappled with one emotional loss after another. In the span of about three years, Tibi said she lost her best friend, her father and her sister.

“I could tell she was worn from that,” he said.

Who was David DeNitto?

Police said DeNitto ended his life after fatally shooting Cash and Domini on Sunday night.

Property records show DeNitto and former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who died in April 2022, owned a home in that block. DeNitto and Adel were married for nearly 20 years and had two sons.

“My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. We are so very proud to call Allister wife and mom," the late DeNitto said in a statement after his wife's death.

DeNitto worked as a financial adviser for Wells Fargo, according to his company webpage, and had posted photos with his two sons on his Facebook as recently as September.

On the company webpage, DeNitto listed himself as involved with community groups Phoenix Downtown Lions Club, Ride 430 and Phoenix Breakfast Club.

Who was Allister Adel?

Allister Adel served as Maricopa County attorney from October 2019 until March 2022.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Adel as acting county attorney in October 2019 to replace Bill Montgomery, whom then-Gov. Doug Ducey had named to a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court.

She was the first woman to hold that position and then the first to be elected to the office when she won in November 2020.

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 later were 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, assaults 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.”

The Arizona Republic's Nick Sullivan contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 dead after widower of ex-county attorney kills 2, ends own life