Steve Nunn, son of former Kentucky governor, arrested in shooting death of fiancée

September 11, 7:36 PMLouisville City Hall ExaminerThomas McAdam

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 Steve Nunn

Steve Nunn, son of Kentucky’s late governor, Louie B. Nunn, was found by the Kentucky State Police just before 11:00 a.m. (EDT) this morning, at the gravesite of his mother and father, in Cosby Church Cemetery, in Hart County, near the Barren County line. His wrists had been slashed, and when the police arrived, they say Nunn was brandishing a pistol. Police determined the wounds to have been self-inflicted, and took Nunn to a medical center in Bowling Green for emergency treatment. Police have indicated that he will be detained and charged with six counts of wanton endangerment of police officers upon his release from the hospital.

Law enforcement officials in Fayette, Hart, and Barren counties had been searching for the former state representative from Glasgow since about 6:30 this morning, when Lexington police found Nunn's former fiancée, 29-year-old Amanda Ross, shot to death in the parking lot of her townhouse on West Short Street, near Rupp Arena.

Amanda Ross (AP Photo/Ky. Dept.Ins., Wes Sirles)
 

Nunn, 56, was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 2003 and lost a re-election for his Kentucky House seat in 2006 after serving in the legislature for 15 years. In March of this year, Nunn resigned as deputy secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services after his arrest on assault and domestic violence charges brought Ross. Nunn pleaded guilty in August to the domestic violence assault charge and was ordered by the Fayette County District Court to participate in a diversion program. He is also being charged with violating a protective order which directed him to have no contact for a year with Ross.

After Nunn lost in the 2003 gubernatorial primary to then United States Representative Ernie Fletcher, he supported Fletcher in the general election. Nunn received 21,167 votes (13.4 percent) in the primary. Fletcher led the three-candidate field with 90,912 (57.3 percent). Rebecca Jackson polled 44,084 (27.8 percent). Fletcher went on to win the position in the general election by defeating Attorney General Ben Chandler. Fletcher was the first Kentucky Republican to be elected governor since Louie B. Nunn, Steve Nunn's father, in 1967. In 2006, Nunn lost his bid for re-election to the House of Representatives to Democrat Johnny Bell.

Steve Nunn was considered a moderate Republican and a supporter of expanded state social services. In September 2007, Nunn announced his support of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Steve Beshear, a former lieutenant governor who defeated Fletcher in his bid for re-election. On December 22, 2007, Beshear appointed Nunn as deputy secretary of Health and Family Services.