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Wife of the Mooresville murder suspect killed after police standoff charged in connection to crime, police say

Ashlee Klepfer has been charged with felony accessory, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and other charges.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — More charges have been filed in the double murder investigation that led to an 8-hour police standoff at a home near Mooresville last weekend.

It started when deputies were called about gunshots on Home Drive in Mooresville, where they found three people tied up at a house on Saturday night. Two of them were already shot dead inside the house, according to the Iredell County Sheriff's Office.

When police approached the house, the murder suspect, 39-year-old Justin Michael Stawser, barricaded himself inside and began shooting at the officers. This led to an hours-long standoff, ultimately resulting in the shooting death of Stawser by deputies with the Iredell County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday, deputies arrested Ashlee Louise Klepfer, the wife of Stawser, after investigators found evidence that Klepfer was involved in the crime after allegedly helping her husband after the murders happened. Police also found evidence that Klepfer allegedly gave four teens access to guns during the standoff.

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Deputies arrested Klepfer during a traffic stop in Statesville. During the arrest, officers say there was a 15-year-old boy in the car, who allegedly had a loaded gun and methamphetamine.

Police arrested Klepfer and took her to the Iredell County Detention Center, where she was not issued a bond since she is currently out on bond for a previous charge. The teen was taken into juvenile custody.

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The murder victims were identified as 22-year-old Eduardo Cordova from Mooresville and 24-year-old Caleb Loper of Lincolnton.

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The third person, who is fighting for his life in the hospital, was found on the back porch of the house in critical condition.

Klepfer has been charged with the following:

  • Felony accessory after the fact
  • Felony possession of methamphetamine
  • Felony possession with intent to sell or deliver methamphetamine
  • Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia
  • Misdemeanor possession of a schedule II controlled substance
  • Five counts misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor
  • Four counts misdemeanor failure to secure firearm from a minor.

If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you're ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com. 

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