Tamara Wolford was previously charged with second-degree murder after shooting and killing a suspect in a home invasion in Scott County, June 2020. The suspect happened to be her child’s father, Jared Dockery, who had protective orders against him of which he already violated multiple times.
Dockery reportedly messaged Wolford, saying they were going to talk face to face. He then went to the home of Wolford, where she, her child, and Wolford’s mother were present. Dockery was also actually the child’s biological father.
Unknowingly to Wolford and her mother, Dockery showed up at Wolford’s home and convinced their child to unlock the door for him, to which Wolford found and demanded he leave.
According to court documents, Wolford obtained a firearm from inside the house, warning Dockery to leave and that she’d shoot him if he didn’t. Dockery reportedly “appeared to reach for a set of knives adjacent to the entryway.” The motion states Wolford then shot Dockery after the multiple warnings.
An autopsy report found Dockery’s body contained “methamphetamine in the amount of 1.1 mg/L and amphetamine in the amount of 0.32 mg/L.”
Although he was their child’s father, Dockery already had protective orders against him from Wolford, making him no more than an unwelcome guest. Wolford seemingly readily obtained her weapon and took the measures of deescalating the situation, which is definitely something the courts took into serious consideration with the present protective orders. She gave him multiple chances at his well-being, but he posed a risk the more he resisted, especially with the child & mother present, bringing upon his own death.
“The Commonwealth asserts that the totality of the circumstances in this case indicate that the defendant’s actions constituted justifiable homicide.”
Unfortunately, not every act of self-defense guarantees a safeguard from the law. Thankfully Wolford will not be charged as a murderer for defending not just her life & her home but her family’s well-being.
