Victim’s fiancee left to care for three children, restart life

Jason Robb was the victim of deadly domestic violence in Warren County

Five domestic violence killings in 2016 in Warren County was such a sudden spike of violence that one woman whose fiance was among the victims says the killings have left her reeling.

“All of it just feels really sad,” said Amanda Palmgren. “I’m trying to put my life together. All I can do is try to keep myself as busy as possible.”

Palmgren’s fiance, Jason Robb, was gunned down while waiting in his car in the driveway of his ex-wife’s home outside Lebanon. He had gone to pick up their two children and take them to school.

Pamgren attended a hearing last week in the murder case of Mercedes Robb, who is accused of fatally shooting ex-husband Jason Robb.

Jason Robb, 35, was the fifth person to die in a string of fatal domestic violence incidents beginning in July 2016.

RELATED: Experts ponder string of deadly domestic violence incidents.

In July, Eric Walker shot dead his wife Lauren Walker and himself and wounded her brother in their driveway in Clearcreek Twp., just outside Springboro city limits. Eric Walker had just learned she planned to leave him and take their children, according to police.

In September, David Garrett shot and killed his ex-wife, Traci Fletcher-Garrett, in the yard of her home in Hamilton Twp. next to Little Miami High School, then fatally shot himself, according to police.

On Nov. 3, Robb was fatally shot at his ex-wife’s home outside Lebanon while waiting to pick up his two children to take them to school.

All three fatal cases left children behind. Jason Robb’s passing also left behind an infant daughter he had with Palmgren.

On Nov. 3, Palmgren said Robb woke up and rubbed her back as she breast-fed their child. Then he went downstairs for a cup of coffee before leaving to drive his other two children to school.

When Palmgren next awoke, Robb was dead.

“I’ve been trying to make sense of it for months now. It’s not logical. It doesn’t make sense,” she said.

The Robbs were locked in a custody battle. Jason Robb had cited her diminishing mental condition in a motion seeking full custody. But Palmgren said she was unaware of his latest filings.

Robb was an entrepreneur who had recently gotten into his second business venture, the Frankenfries food truck.

He also was the owner of J & J Fabricating, developer of a system used to manage video monitors in Costco stores across the country.

He had recently returned from business trips to California and Nebraska for J&J, Palmgren said.

“He was a fantastic and just a very caring man. The whole situation is very tragic,” Palmgren said.

Palmgren, a real estate agent, finds herself unemployed and without a steady source of income, caring for three children.

“I don’t have a choice. I have three children I have to take care of. They need me to be OK,” she said.

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