Lebanon woman charged with murder of boyfriend in Chestnut Street stabbing

A Lebanon woman has been charged by Lebanon City Police and the Lebanon County Detective Bureau with criminal homicide in the stabbing death of her boyfriend at a Chestnut Street apartment building, according to a press release from the office of Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf.

Katelynn Kearney, 32, was charged Thursday, Oct. 9, with killing Dontay Maurice Hunter during an argument at his apartment at 833 Chestnut St. on the night of Oct. 4. She had previously been charged Oct. 6 with tampering with evidence.

Read More: Two arrested in Chestnut Street homicide investigation in Lebanon city

Kearney remains in Lebanon County Correctional Facility without bail, the DA’s office said. Updated court documents had not been published to the state’s Unified Judicial System as of publication time.

According to police, the investigation revealed that Kearney, Hunter, and Kearney’s mother, Joanne Kearney, all rented apartments in the same building. Hunter and Kearney’s mother lived next door to one another. Kearney had previously lived with Hunter but moved in with her mother weeks prior to the murder.

Surveillance footage from the apartment building showed Kearney and Hunter returning from Turkey Hill around 9 p.m. Oct. 4 after using an ATM. The cameras captured audio of the couple arguing loudly in Hunter’s apartment while neighbors in the hallway paid no attention — arguments between the two were a common occurrence, the property manager told investigators.

Kearney’s mother, home in the adjacent apartment, did not respond to the argument.

After the argument ended around 9 p.m., surveillance showed Kearney and her mother repeatedly entering Hunter’s apartment and removing items over the next 12 hours. At 9:40 p.m., Kearney was seen disposing of a bag in a nearby dumpster that police later found contained bloodied clothing and the murder weapon.

Kearney called 911 at approximately 9 a.m. Oct. 5 — nearly 12 hours after the argument and just one minute after removing the last item from Hunter’s apartment. Police said she spoke in a flat, emotionless tone, at times mumbling incoherently, and claimed she had found Hunter dead on his bed. The apartment was covered in blood, she told dispatchers.

During multiple police interviews, Kearney initially denied involvement and attempted to blame another male resident with whom she also had romantic relations, the DA’s office said in the news release. After being confronted with surveillance footage, she admitted to stabbing Hunter but claimed self-defense, police said, adding that no injuries were found on Kearney and she did not request medical care.

In a reenactment Oct. 6 following her arrest, Kearney demonstrated the killing, according to the police narrative. She said Hunter initially knelt over her on the ground, telling her to calm down, the news release says, telling police that when they both stood up, she grabbed a large knife and faced him. Hunter never held or showed her a weapon.

As she held the knife, Hunter grabbed for her arms and she made stabbing motions, police said. Kearney claimed the stabbing was accidental due to tremors and believed she stabbed Hunter twice. Hunter fell onto his bed and told Kearney she had stabbed him, police said, adding that at no point did Kearney render aid or phone 911 for help.

An autopsy determined Hunter died from a single stab wound to the chest, the DA’s office said. The manner of death was ruled homicide. A search of Hunter’s clothing and person revealed he did not have a weapon.

Police reviewed the criminal histories of both individuals. Hunter had no prior assaults or domestic violence-related convictions. Kearney had a 2013 conviction for first-degree battery in Charlotte, Florida.

Investigators found no prior Protection from Abuse petitions or orders between Hunter and Kearney. Police had contact with the couple on a prior call in December 2024, but no charges were filed.

Joanne Kearney, 61, has also been charged with tampering with evidence for helping remove items from the crime scene. Court documents indicate that she remains at Lebanon County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail, which had been set last week at $250,000

The DA’s office noted in the press release that the killing occurred just hours after a local Domestic Violence Awareness Month event where citizens gathered to support Lebanon County’s Domestic Violence Intervention. Lebanon City Police and the District Attorney’s Office urged anyone experiencing domestic violence to contact law enforcement or Domestic Violence Intervention at 717-273-7190.