The investigation is now closed into the death of a Chula Vista man after his girlfriend who was suspected of shooting him was killed in a car accident, a District Attorney spokesperson said Friday.
Melissa Geanine Hayes-Spencer, 30, died Jan. 11 after her car plunged down 180 feet down an embankment after she quickly changed lanes on state Route 94 at 2:40 p.m. while trying to merge onto state Route 125 in La Mesa.
Hayes-Spencer was released from jail Oct. 21 without being charged in the Oct. 17 shooting death of her boyfriend, Rayshaun Cole, 30, in an apartment complex in the 1300 block of Santa Rita Drive in Chula Vista. The DA’s office said at the time they were reviewing the case and was still under investigation.
Hayes-Spencer was a U.S. Customs & Border Protection officer at the time, and was placed on administrative leave after she was released from jail. The agency has declined comment.
The county Medical Examiner’s office said Hayes-Spencer was not wearing a seat belt and died from blunt force trauma to her head and neck. Her car struck two trees and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
She was driving at a high rate of speed westbound and was the sole occupant of the Honda Civic, the medical examiner’s office said. The office concluded that she made a last minute lane change which caused her to lose control of her vehicle.
Cole was shot once in the chest. Hayes-Spencer told Chula Vista Police she shot him in self-defense and was cooperative. She voluntarily came to the police station, police said at the time. Police seized a firearm in the apartment.
It’s possible she would have never been charged with a crime. Her death means the investigation is now closed since she was the only suspect, the DA’s office said.
