Nolan, 32, had been stabbed more than 40 times, according to Warren County Coroner Dr. Russell Uptegrove. Police believe Wolverton, 28, an ex-boyfriend, killed Nolan after she refused to reconcile with him.
Lebanon police Sgt. Jeff Mitchell said the two struggled outside Nolan’s first-floor apartment, where she was repeatedly stabbed.
Uptegrove said Nolan was stabbed with a hunting knife, primarily in the chest and abdomen in what he described as “quite a brutal attack.”
After police received 911 calls about a woman being stabbed, Wolverton led authorities on a wild chase through western Warren County in his purple Chevrolet Camaro, weaving around cars on the two-lane Ohio 123 and reaching speeds of 130 mph as he headed north on Interstate 75, only to be stopped by spiked tire deflation devices.
Deputies approached the vehicle and found Wolverton suffering from multiple stab wounds believed to have been self-inflicted. Lebanon Assistant Police Chief Bob Hawley said they believe the knife he used on himself was the same one he used to kill Nolan.
Wolverton was flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he was pronounced dead.
Jennifer Nolan, the wife of Joshua Nolan — Shena ’s former husband — said Wolverton showed no signs of violence during what she described as “a great, two-year relationship.”
“They were totally in love and then one day he just up and left,” she said. “He came back with roses and wanted to get back together with her. She told him no and then he started stalking her.”
Nolan leaves two children, ages 8 and 10. According to her MySpace page, she was a procurement specialist at Siemen’s IT in Mason.
Slain Lebanon woman rebuffed her ex-boyfriend
People who knew Shena Nolan and Troy Wolverton said the couple was generally happy until late last year, when Wolverton abruptly ended the relationship.
Around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, Wolverton, 28, came to Nolan’s apartment, apparently seeking reconciliation. When Nolan, 32 refused, police say he stabbed her to death.
Nolan and Wolverton had lived together nearly three years before they split, said Peggy Zinn, a neighbor of Nolan in her Georgetown Drive apartment off Ohio 123. Nolan was a mother of two boys, ages 8 and 10.
According to Dr. Russell Uptegrove, Warren County coroner, Nolan had more than 40 stab wounds to her body, primarily in the chest and abdomen areas, inflicted by a hunting knife in what he described as “quite a brutal attack.”
Since their relationship ended, Zinn said Wolverton allegedly had been stalking Nolan at work, leaving messages on her MySpace page and calling her several times at work. Zinn said Nolan also suspected Wolverton had been inside her apartment while she was at work.
Nolan, a 1996 Lebanon High School graduate, expressed sadness over her breakup with Wolverton on her MySpace page, saying it came without warning. However, friends said she had rebuked his efforts to reconcile in recent weeks.
During the attack, neighbors called 911, providing police with a description of Wolverton and identifying his vehicle and license plate number.
“Oh my God, there’s a guy who just stabbed a girl next to me, in the apartment next door. He’s running away,” one caller said. “I heard the lady screaming. I saw him run across the parking lot.”
Said another caller, “We’ve got a lady outside and she’s bleeding.”
Sean McDonnell and his wife, Lisa, were watching television in their upstairs apartment when he heard screams outside, looked out the back window and saw Nolan on the ground with her 8-year-old son at her side. The two ran downstairs with towels and placed them on Nolan’s chest, placing light pressure until medics arrived minutes later, he said.
“She was telling her son to call 911,” McDonnell said. “She seemed to be OK.” He said she wasn’t crying, but looked like she was stunned or shocked, and seemed “more concerned about her son.”
Nolan’s 8-year-old son who was at the scene is now in the care of his grandmother, authorities said.
Leslie Hunter, who lives in a neighboring building, said the incident brought a sense of unease to a normally quiet community of mostly multi-unit apartment complex.
“I was cooking dinner and suddenly there was all this lights and sirens,” Hunter said late Thursday morning. “I rushed outside but police were yelling to get back. It was chaos.”
Nolan was transported by ambulance to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, where she was pronounced dead.
Lebanon police Sgt. Jeff Mitchell was unsure how much Nolan’s son had actually seen. Mitchell said the struggle took place outside the apartment while the boy was inside and he probably witnessed “the middle portion” of the struggle after being drawn by the commotion. Mitchell said the boy had not yet been interviewed.
Uptegrove said the incident started as a domestic violence call and that most stabbing cases such as this are between people who have history with each other. He also said these types of stabbing cases usually involve multiple wounds because there is more emotion and passion involved.
Uptegrove said by the number of stab wounds Nolan suffered, that “it was obviously a significant struggle.”
Nolan’s body was autopsied at the Montgomery County Morgue on Thursday morning, the coroner said. Wolverton’s body was autopsied Thursday afternoon, he said. Wolverton was taken by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton where he later died following a high-speed chase that ended on Interstate 75 near Ohio 73 in Franklin.
Clark County records show Wolverton had four traffic tickets and Lebanon Municipal Court records show his address as Georgetown Drive when he received a speeding ticket last October in Lebanon. Family members of Wolverton, who live in Springfield, said they were still shaken up by the incident Thursday and declined to comment.
Zinn said that Nolan did not have life insurance and that a fund has been established to help pay for funeral services and to provide financial support for her children. Donations can be made at LCNB in Lebanon, P.O. Box 59, or at any other LCNB location.
Staff writers Denise Callahan, Tiffany Latta, Justin McClelland, Apryl Pilolli, Ed Richter, Matt Sanctis, Eric Schwartzberg and Rich Wilson contributed to this report.