Police said the recording captured the final moments before Joshua Thompson shot Kaitlynn Lee through a window.
NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A phone video recorded in a New Albany kitchen became key evidence against Joshua Thompson, who pleaded guilty to murder and received 45 years in prison for killing Kaitlynn Lee.
The video started as a light moment between two friends. Lee, 25, and her friend were laughing, dancing and lip-syncing to a song in the early morning of Aug. 10, 2024. Police said the recording then captured the moment both women turned away from the camera toward a kitchen window. Lee asked, “What are you doing here?” A shot followed. Smoke filled part of the frame, and Lee fell out of view. The recording ended after the blast.
That sequence helped prosecutors connect the shooting to Thompson, Lee’s ex-boyfriend and the father of one of her children. The friend told police Thompson was outside the window before the gunfire. Investigators said Thompson later admitted going to the apartment to see whether Lee was with other men. He also admitted that he watched from outside as Lee and her friend made the video, according to court documents. Police said he acknowledged pulling the trigger. The case ended in Floyd County court May 28, 2026, when Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
The shooting happened at a friend’s apartment on Village Drive, where Lee was staying. Authorities said children were present inside the apartment. Police responded to a report that a woman had been shot about 5 a.m. Lee was hit in the head and later died. The public record did not state that any child was physically hurt. Investigators found a handgun and a spent shell casing outside the window, according to reports that cited the affidavit. The window, the gun, the casing and the video became part of the proof used to build the murder case.
Before the shooting, Lee had a protective order against Thompson. It stemmed from an April 2024 domestic violence incident, according to court records. Prosecutors said Thompson violated that order by going to the apartment. He was charged not only with murder but also with invasion of privacy, criminal recklessness by shooting into a building and unlawful carrying of a handgun. Those charges reflected both the death of Lee and the danger created by firing into an occupied home. The guilty plea to murder resolved the main issue in the case and led to the 45-year sentence.
The friend who survived the shooting gave investigators more than a description of the window. She told police that Lee and Thompson had a toxic relationship and were often at odds. She also said Lee had once told her that if she were ever found dead, Joshua would be the one who killed her. That statement later drew public attention because of how closely the alleged warning matched the case that followed. Police and prosecutors did not treat it as the only evidence. They also had the video, physical evidence, witness statements and Thompson’s admissions.
Thompson’s own actions after the shooting became part of the case. Police said he called his brother after leaving the window area. The brother told investigators Thompson was crying and distraught and said he had shot the mother of his child. The brother told him to call 911. Thompson then called police and said he had shot Lee, according to the affidavit. When interviewed by investigators, he said he had driven to the apartment and looked inside to see who was there. He told police he wanted to know whether any men were with Lee.
The video evidence gave the case a clear timeline, but it also made the killing unusually public. What began as a social media recording showed a private moment turning into a crime scene. Investigators said Lee and her friend were performing for the camera one second and looking toward the back kitchen window the next. The affidavit described smoke hanging in the room after the shot. That detail showed how close the gunfire was to the people inside. It also showed why prosecutors charged criminal recklessness by shooting into a building.
Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane said the case reflected the serious risks tied to domestic violence allegations. After Thompson was sentenced, Lane said his office had used Indiana law to seek accountability. “Our job is to use the laws of Indiana to seek righteousness and to protect our community, and that’s what we did today,” Lane said. The plea avoided a trial, but the public court record still set out the events in detail. It showed how the video, the protective order and the confession fit together.
Lee’s family and friends remembered her as a mother of three. Her obituary said she was survived by her children, her mother, her brother and other relatives. A fundraising page created after her death said funeral money was needed and that any extra funds would help with expenses for her children. The page said Lee did not deserve what happened to her and that her children did not deserve the loss. Those family details stood beside the court facts as the case moved toward sentencing.
In court, Thompson apologized to Lee’s family and friends. “I’m truly sorry for my actions,” he said. “I hope one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.” The judge sentenced him to 45 years, with the term running at the same time as his domestic violence sentence. Thompson has already served about 21 months in jail. The state prison system will calculate his remaining time.
The video that started in a kitchen is now part of the completed murder case. Thompson’s guilty plea and sentence end the trial phase, while Lee’s family is left with the record of what happened and the loss of a young mother.
Author note: Last updated June 1, 2026.