Court records said Kaitlynn Lee had a protective order against Joshua Thompson before he shot her through a window.
NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A protective order meant to keep Joshua Thompson away from Kaitlynn Lee became a central fact in the murder case that ended with his guilty plea and a 45-year prison sentence.
Lee, a 25-year-old mother of three, had obtained the order after an April 2024 incident. Four months later, police said, Thompson violated it by going to a Village Drive apartment where Lee was staying with a friend. Prosecutors said he shot through a kitchen window while Lee was making a video. The court case ended May 28, 2026, when Thompson pleaded guilty to murder and received a 45-year sentence. The sentence will run at the same time as a domestic violence sentence.
The order was not a side issue in the case. Police said Thompson admitted he knew it existed when he drove to the apartment in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, 2024. He told investigators he went there to see whether Lee had any other men inside, according to the probable cause affidavit. The document said he watched from outside as Lee and her friend recorded a video in the kitchen. The women were laughing, dancing and lip-syncing when they stopped and looked toward the window. Lee saw him and asked, “What are you doing here?” Police said Thompson then fired through the glass.
The protective order shaped the charges filed after Lee’s death. Thompson was charged with murder, criminal recklessness by shooting into a building, unlawful carrying of a handgun and invasion of privacy for violating the order. At first, he pleaded not guilty. Court records later showed he asked for a change of plea hearing. That request signaled the case would likely end without a trial. At the hearing, Thompson admitted the murder. The judge sentenced him to 45 years in prison, giving prosecutors the murder conviction they had sought.
Investigators said the apartment was not Thompson’s home and that children were present when the shooting happened. The public records did not state that any child was physically injured. Lee was with a friend at the time. The friend told police that Lee and Thompson had a toxic relationship and were often in conflict. She also said Lee had made a warning before her death, saying that if she were ever found dead, Thompson would be the person who killed her. That statement later appeared in court documents and became part of the public record of the case.
Police also relied on video from the kitchen. The recording showed the women enjoying the song before both turned toward the window, according to the affidavit. The document said a blast then came from the window area, Lee fell out of frame and smoke hung in the room before the video stopped. The recording did not just show the scene. It fixed the sequence of events in a way witness memory alone could not. It showed the shift from a casual moment to violence in seconds.
After the shooting, Thompson called his brother, according to investigators. The brother told police that Thompson was crying and distraught and said he had shot the mother of his child. The brother urged him to call 911. Police said Thompson did call and told a dispatcher what he had done. When officers later interviewed him, Thompson admitted going to the apartment, watching from outside and pulling the trigger, according to the affidavit. Authorities said a handgun and a spent casing were found outside the window.
Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane said his office treated the case as both a murder case and a domestic violence case. “We take domestic violence allegations seriously,” Lane said after charges were filed. After the guilty plea and sentence, Lane said prosecutors used Indiana law to seek accountability and protect the community. The case moved from an emergency response at an apartment to a prosecution built on a court order, a witness account, a video recording, physical evidence and Thompson’s own statements.
Lee’s death left relatives and friends trying to describe a loss that court records could not fully cover. Her obituary said she was survived by three children, her mother, a brother and extended family. A fundraising page set up by a relative said the children now had to grow up without their mother. It asked for help with funeral costs and expenses tied to the children. Public posts and local coverage focused on Lee as a young mother whose life ended in a place where she had been spending time with a friend.
The plea hearing also brought Thompson’s first public acceptance of responsibility in court. “To all Kaitlynn’s friends and family, I just want to say that I’m truly sorry for my actions,” Thompson said. “I hope one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.” The statement did not change the sentence. The judge imposed 45 years. Thompson had already served about 21 months in jail by then, and the Indiana Department of Correction will decide how that time counts toward his prison term.
The case now moves from Floyd County court to the state prison system. The murder conviction stands, the protective order violation remains part of the case record and Lee’s family faces the long aftermath of a killing that began with a broken no-contact order.
Author note: Last updated June 1, 2026.