Rhett Robert Wilkins, 44

Rhett Wilkins, a 44-year-old black man, was shot to death in what police believe to be domestic violence incident on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, in the 4000 block of Stevely Avenue.

Wilkins stabbed his former girlfriend and her daughter shortly before 6:30 a.m. at an apartment complex, Officer Karen Smithe said.

The attack was the culmination of a long-running dispute between Wilkins and his ex-girlfriend, police said.

"He had a lengthy history of domestic violence and was the subject of restraining orders," Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said of Wilkins.

Witnesses told investigators that after the two women were stabbed, Diedree Edwards, 29, the younger woman's boyfriend, who also lives in the apartment complex, confronted Wilkins and shot him to death, police said.

When police arrived, they found Wilkins dead and the two injured women, Garner said. The women were taken to a hospital, where they were expected to recover, Garner said.

-- Richard Winton