ORANGE BEACH, AL- A violent domestic incident took place in the early hours of the morning during a beach vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama. A deputy from Cullman County fatally shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. The couple, identified as Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Booth Jr and his girlfriend Alexis ‘Lexi’ White, 23, were reportedly embroiled in a heated argument at around 2:45 AM when the situation escalated to violence. The incident, which occurred in a common area at the Seaside Beach and Racquet Club, is being investigated as a murder-suicide by local authorities.
The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, where both Booth and White were employed, expressed profound shock and devastation at the loss of two of their own. The news has shaken the department to its core, leaving colleagues and friends grappling with the sudden and violent deaths.
In the aftermath of the incident, Booth’s mother, Adrean Miller Booth, took to Facebook to pay tribute to her son. She also expressed her heartbreak over her son’s death and promised to release a statement at a later date to address what she claimed were ‘a lot of false and untrue statements’ circulating about the incident. However, her post drew criticism from some Facebook users who felt she had failed to acknowledge the death of White, Booth’s girlfriend. Several comments were left in support of White who her son supposedly killed during their altercation.
White, who had been employed at the sheriff’s office since she was 16, was a beloved figure in the community. Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry spoke highly of her, expressing his deep sorrow at her loss. He described White as a ‘charter member’ of their Youth Leadership Academy and praised her involvement in the community. She held a degree in criminal justice from Wallace State Community College, and worked as a dispatcher at the sheriff’s office. Her friend, Hope Cochran, expressed her shock and grief at the news of White’s death, remembering her fondly from their shared experiences playing softball together.
White’s obituary described her as a ‘firecracker’, noting that her ‘sass and determination made up for her small structure.’ The news of her death is particularly devastating for her family, who had lost White’s brother, Tarrant Jordan White, just three years prior at the age of 25. White’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, in Cullman, Alabama.