PHOENIX — They'd been together for two years, and engaged for one.
Thirty-year-old Sarah Shumaker thought she'd live happily ever after with her soon-to-be husband, 31-year-old Daniel Sudberry.
They'd lived together since May, sharing an apartment off 7th Street and Greenway Parkway. That's where Phoenix police found Sudberry's body Saturday afternoon.
“I can’t feel anything for him," Shumaker said. "I have not shed one tear for him.“
Shumaker isn't afraid to speak up. In fact, she wants everyone to hear what she has to say after what she went through.
Shumaker told ABC15 her fiance suffered from depression, schizophrenia, even multiple personality disorder, but was on medication until recently.
"I saw that look in his eyes; his whole demeanor changed," she added. "He's been in and out of the mental hospital more than 10 times."
Shumaker says Sudberry was never violent towards her until a few months ago.
“He said, 'Are you gonna leave me?' And I said, 'no baby, I love you.' I kept playing cool because I knew, he had straight up told me, 'you try to leave me I will kill you, I will kill your dogs, I will kill all of your friends that I know, every single family member,'" Shumaker said.
That's when she knew she needed to go, but it wasn't easy. Shumaker says Sudberry received disability for his diagnosis, keeping him home every day. She'd been slowly trying to pack her things and planned to leave Saturday, when Sudberry finally started a new job.
Her fiancé was in the shower when they got into an argument. She heard the shower curtain rip open and knew she needed to try and get out then.
“ I didn’t make it out in time," she said. "He just started stomping my left side; then he did my right side, then he turned me over and started stomping on my back.“
Shumaker says Sudberry stopped after that and walked towards their bedroom to grab his gun. She ran out the front door, into the parking lot. Sudberry followed until Phoenix police showed up.
"I feel so much guilt and resentment towards myself because you know somebody has a mental disability, why would you stay with them?" Shumaker said. "Well, there are many people who have mental disabilities, but not all of them result in physical abuse, murder, suicide, it doesn't all result that way."
Sudberry shot at police, striking one of the patrol vehicles several times.
The situation at 7th St and Greenway Parkway is over. Suspect shot at our #police vehicle, including shooting out the back window. No officers injured. #PhxPD #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/YNoewWBDJG
— Phoenix Police Department (@phoenixpolice) September 29, 2019
During the three-hour standoff, police say Sudberry reportedly told negotiators that he wanted officers to shoot him. After three hours, SAU officers entered the apartment and found Sudberry dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say Sudberry also had shot and killed two dogs in the apartment.
“I had a game plan, I had a plan, I just didn’t make it in time, and he killed my babies," said Shumaker, fighting back the tears.
She's now without a place to live, unable to even walk into her apartment after police used tear gas before kicking the door down during the standoff.
"I hate to say this; I really do, because I have so much hatred, but I loved him, no man had ever treated me as good as he had."
If you'd like to help Shumaker get back on her feet, you can donate here.
