A 61-year-old Tucson grandmother who survived cancer twice and was preparing for retirement died from a brain injury after police say she was punched in the face while trying to help her boyfriend during a confrontation at an apartment complex.
Arizona’s Family reporter Kayla Butter said Susan Gehrke was attacked on July 24 near North Alvernon Way and Speedway, only days before she was expected to celebrate her 62nd birthday on August 3.
Police arrested 27-year-old Dahseir Edward Jefferson four days after the attack. He was later charged with second-degree murder following Gehrke’s death and was being held on a total bond of $650,000.
Gehrke’s family told Butter that the violence was so severe that she looked unrecognizable in the hospital. They are now remembering a hardworking woman who spent her life protecting and supporting the people she loved.
A Brief Encounter Turns Deadly
According to court documents described in the report, Jefferson was knocking on the door of an upstairs apartment when Gehrke stepped outside and told him that no one was home.
Frankie Zills, Gehrke’s grandson, said his grandmother did not know Jefferson.
“My grandma walked out and notified him like, ‘Hey, nobody’s there right now,’” Zills told Butter. “And he got really upset and started cussing her out.”
Gehrke’s boyfriend then stepped into the dispute and was allegedly punched by Jefferson, causing him to fall and strike his head.
The man suffered a cut beneath his left eye, a large contusion on his head, and scrapes to his back and knee. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
When Gehrke moved to help him, Jefferson allegedly punched her in the face.
The force of the blow caused her to fall backward, strike her head on the pavement, and lose consciousness. Investigators said part of her dentures broke and flew from her mouth during the attack.
Gehrke suffered a brain bleed and was rushed to the hospital, but she never recovered from her injuries.
Family Could Barely Recognize Her
Butter said the family’s grief was immediately clear when she met with them at the apartment complex.
“They just kept telling me over and over again how supportive and protective she was over those that she cared about,” the reporter said.
Frankie Zills and Angelina Zills recalled the shock of seeing their grandmother in the hospital only hours after the attack.
“I couldn’t even walk in the room,” one family member said. “It was like an out-of-body experience.”
Gehrke’s daughter, Felicia, said her mother’s injuries were so severe that she could not allow her 15-year-old son to see her.
“We had my 15-year-old son there with us, and he wanted to see her,” Felicia told Butter. “She was beat so bad. We went in, and I was like, ‘He can’t come up here and see her. There’s no way.’”
The family’s description shows the human cost hidden behind the formal language of court complaints and criminal charges. A single alleged punch did not merely injure Gehrke; it left her loved ones confronting an image of her they may never be able to forget.
Gehrke Was Trying to Help Her Boyfriend
Frankie said his grandmother was not someone who sought confrontation.
He believed she had only approached her injured boyfriend because she wanted to help him get up and return inside.
“My grandma is not a person that likes being around confrontation, so she probably just wanted to get him up and go inside,” he said.
That detail makes the circumstances especially painful. Gehrke was not described as escalating the dispute or challenging Jefferson; she was reportedly trying to assist someone who had already been struck.
Her family said the apartment complex was a place she visited frequently, making the random nature of the alleged attack even harder to understand.
Butter reported that relatives remained stunned that something so violent could happen during such an ordinary visit.
Cases like this show how quickly a minor encounter can become fatal when one person responds with extreme violence. There was no prolonged dispute described in the report, only a brief exchange followed by two alleged assaults and a family permanently changed.
Suspect’s Charges Escalate After Her Death
Jefferson was initially facing two counts of aggravated assault involving temporary but substantial injury.
During an early court appearance, prosecutors said one of the victims was not expected to survive. After Gehrke died, the case was upgraded to include a second-degree murder charge.
He was arrested on July 28, four days after the attack, according to Tucson police.
Jefferson is accused of attacking both Gehrke and her boyfriend, but the charges remain allegations, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.
The report said Jefferson had a prior violent criminal history.
In 2019, he was convicted of third-degree burglary after other burglary counts were dismissed through a plea agreement.
In 2021, he was convicted of aggravated assault involving a victim who was bound or restrained. He received a five-year prison sentence and was released in October 2024.
Records cited in Butter’s report also showed several disciplinary findings while he was incarcerated, including disorderly conduct, weapon possession, tampering with a safety device, disobeying an order, possessing a communication device, drug paraphernalia, and manufacturing or possessing an intoxicating substance.
Family Questions Why Jefferson Was Free
Gehrke’s relatives said they were angry that a man with previous violent convictions had been released and was allegedly able to hurt another family.
“How many innocent people and family members have to get taken before the state figures out that you can’t rehabilitate people like this?” Frankie asked.
His words reflected the family’s grief and frustration rather than a legal finding about Jefferson’s rehabilitation or future dangerousness.
Still, the question is understandable. When someone with a documented history of violence is accused of another deadly attack, families often feel that warning signs were present and that the system failed to protect the public.
Sentencing, release, and supervision decisions involve legal rules that cannot be judged fully from a short report. Yet those technical explanations are unlikely to offer much comfort to relatives who believe Gehrke would still be alive if the suspect had remained behind bars.
The family said it hoped Jefferson would receive a lengthy sentence so no other household would experience the same loss.
A Birthday and Retirement Never Reached
Gehrke was only days away from turning 62.
She had also been looking forward to retirement after spending much of her life working to support her family.
Angelina Zills described her as a “beacon of light” who consistently placed other people’s needs ahead of her own.
“She spent her entire life working tirelessly, pouring her heart into her family, and putting others before herself,” Angelina wrote in a family fundraising message. “She was just on the brink of retiring—a milestone she had worked so hard for and was so excited to finally enjoy.”
The family also said Gehrke had defeated cancer twice, making the sudden loss feel particularly cruel.
After surviving two major health battles, she did not die from illness but from injuries suffered during an encounter with a stranger she was trying to calm or move away from.
Frankie said her commitment to her family was what he would remember most.
“She’s an old lady that literally worked her whole life to support her family,” he said. “And that’s the most memorable thing that anybody could do.”
Family Raises Money for Final Expenses
Gehrke’s relatives established an online fundraiser to help cover her funeral and the expensive medical care she received before her death.
Butter’s report included a short recording of Gehrke speaking warmly to her family.
“I love and miss all of you,” she said in the clip. “Hope everybody’s doing good. Till then, see you. Bye, kids.”
Those ordinary words now carry a much heavier meaning for the relatives who lost her.
The criminal case will continue through the courts, where prosecutors will be required to prove the allegations against Jefferson. For Gehrke’s family, however, no verdict can restore the birthday celebration, retirement plans, or future years they expected to share with her.
They are left remembering a grandmother who survived cancer twice, worked for decades, and spent her life caring for others, only to die after one alleged act of violence outside an apartment she had visited many times before.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
