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Christmas Eve tragedy: Man dies protecting fiancée and preborn child

Icon of a magnifying glassAnalysis·By Cassy Cooke

Christmas Eve tragedy: Man dies protecting fiancée and preborn child

Tragedy struck a young family on Christmas Eve when a Missouri man gave up his own life to save that of his fiancée and their preborn child.

26-year-old Kevin Ward allegedly got into an argument with his father, 61-year-old Harold Luster, on December 24 while visiting him for Christmas. Luster believed his wife, Katherine Ward — Kevin’s mother — was having an affair. Their on-again off-again relationship was abusive according to Ward. Luster accused Kevin of withholding information about the alleged affair. Kevin and his fiancée, Kaitlyn, tried to defend Ward, at which point, Luster turned on Kaitlyn.

Court documents said Luster turned to Kaitlyn and asked, “Do you wanna get shot?” at which point Kevin intervened, telling her to get a knife, and “to run and call 911 if something happened.” As she left, she heard Kevin tell his father, “You’re not going to shoot her,” and Luster responded, “You want to get shot instead?” Kaitlyn said she then saw Luster shoot Kevin once in the head.

Ward told KSDK that she and his three brothers are devastated by the loss, especially as Kevin was excited to be a father. “Kevin was my go to person,” she said. “My son was the best. He was a great kid that didn’t deserve that night and I wish 1,000 times he never went down there. But me and him never would have thought this would ever happen. It’s almost like I’m in a nightmare and I can’t get out.”

 

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READ: Missouri man charged with three murders in deaths of woman and preborn twins

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She further said Luster called her while the argument was going on, and that she could hear Luster in the background. Katherine said the last words she heard from her son were, “Dad, why are you doing this? I don’t deserve this.”

Still, the grieving mother said Kevin was willing to give up his life for his child. “Kevin died with a gunshot to his forehead and his hands tucked in his pockets,” she said. “He was ultimately going to shoot Kevin’s fiancée and Kevin sacrificed himself, he was the hero that night. He would rather die than have her and that baby taken.”

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Luster has been charged with first-degree murder, and jailed without bond.

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