Wife Was Shooter In Deaths Of Elderly Couple

"FARMINGTON TWP, PA — Pennsylvania State Police say the bodies of 72 year- old Madeline Smith and 77 year-old Warren Smith were discovered by a family member in their home on Palmer Road in Farmington Township, on Wednesday.

"State Police say Madeline Smith shot and killed her husband and then turned the gun on herself.

"Officials say both had gun shot wounds to the chest.

"Close friend Alfred Colegrover is in disbelief.

"`Warren always had guns, we hunted together. I never knew her to ever pick up a gun, ever,` Colegrove said.

"Friends of the couple say their grandson discovered their bodies upon returning home from serving in Iraq.

"Friends of the Smiths say, Mrs. Smith was battling cancer but was believed to be doing well.

"Friends say the Smith family had just celebrated Christmas in Farmington a week early."

From wetmtv.com...

Woman Kills Father, Daughter In Double Murder/Suicide

"PERINTON, NY — Monroe County Sheriff's deputies are still investigating an apparent murder-suicide that took place inside a home on 14 Red Fox Run in Perinton.

"Police say they suspect Penelope Luddy, 53, shot her daughter and elderly father before taking her own life.

"Deputies arrived at the home shortly after 10 a.m. and found Luddy dead and her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandra Luddy, and father, Harold Bertram, critically wounded.

"Bertram and Luddy were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital where they died shortly after.

"According to Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn, Penelope Luddy had told her husband, Michael Luddy, to leave the home to check on an ill family member earlier that morning. Upon returning, he found the bodies near the stairwell in the basement and called 911.

"Police say the mother had been distraught for weeks, and may have been seeking psychological counseling. The reason for her distress is unknown at this time. Investigators say the killings do not appear accidental."

From MPNnow.com...

"No, Everything Is Not OK"

"EMINGTON, IL — A family of five is dead after a woman gunned down her infant, her two children and her boyfriend before turning the gun on herself in a tiny Illinois farm town.

"A neighbor who come outside when she heard the gunshots watched in horror as the woman wrapped her infant daughter in a blanket on the ground in the backyard of her home.

"When the neighbor asked if she was alright, the mother responded: `No, everything is not OK,` then bent down and shot the baby at point-blank range, according to reports.

"The woman, whose name was not released, had apparently already killed her boyfriend and her son inside the house, as well as shooting her other young daughter in the backyard.

"The shootings occurred at a house in Emington, Illinois, a town of just 100 people, where the two older children, a first grader and a fourth grader, were last seen getting off a school bus just before they were killed.

"The street where the family lived was closed off by police."

From the Daily Mail (UK)...

UPDATE:

12/19/2011 — Killer mom suffered from bi-polar disorder...

Woman Shoots Herself As Police Investigate

"MARINA, CA — A woman was dead and a man gravely wounded in a double shooting Friday at a Marina motel.

"`It appears to be a murder-suicide,` Marina police Lt. Rick Janicki said in the parking lot of the Motel 6, 100 Reservation Road.

"He cautioned that the investigation had just begun and the suspicion of an attempted murder and suicide was based on preliminary findings.

"According to Janicki, events unfolded this way:

"Police went to the motel just before 6:15 p.m. after receiving multiple calls about gunfire. Officers found a man in lying in the parking lot who had been shot in the head. He was still alive and was taken away by ambulance.

"As they investigated, they heard a gunshot from a nearby room. Using a pass key, officers entered the room and found a dead woman. She too had been shot in the head.

"`Two children are in protective custody,` Janicki said. They were not injured.

"Police had not positively identified the victims as of 8:30 p.m. The relationship between the man and woman and between the adults and the children was not immediately known, Janicki said. The ages of the children was not known.

"Police used headlights from their patrol cars to illuminate the parking lot at the back of the motel where the male victim had been found. Blood was pooled on the asphalt.

"The two-story motel on Reservation Road is just off Highway 1. The clerk on duty declined to comment."

From the Contra Costa Times...

UPDATE:

11/28/2011 — Woman shot herself in front of kids...

Mom Shoots Teenage Son, Self

"CABOOL, MO — Police in Cabool, Missouri say a woman shot her 15 year old son to death, then turned the gun on herself.

"Police issued a news release early Tuesday morning with limited details about the shooting.

"Family members called police Monday and officers went a house at 624 Sunset in Cabool shortly before 4:30 p.m.

"They found the bodies of Tammy Fleming, 43, and her 15 year old son, Charles Loftis. Both were shot to death.

"Cabool police officer Walter Darter tells KOLR10 News there was no history of trouble at the home, according to police records.

"According to the news release, the preliminary investigation shows Fleming shot the boy, then herself.

"Darter says investigators are looking at financial issues as a possible motive."

From OzarksFirst.com...

Another Pleasant Garden Sunday

"PLEASANT GARDEN, NC — Sheriff Barnes and deputies were on location on Ritters Lake Road in Pleasant Garden, investigating a murder-suicide that hospitalized 5 people and killed 1 person other than the suspect.

"Sheriff Barnes held a news conference at 1pm on Sunday with details. He said he believed this was a domestic incident, but did not specify who was related or how.

"The suspect was a female and the victims were between 9 and 40 years old.

"The shootings took place at different locations in Pleasant Garden.

"Deputies responded to a shooting shortly after 9am in the parking lot of GTCC Aviation Campus on Regional Road. The victim was transported to Moses Cone with non-life threatening injuries.

"Deputies then started looking for the suspect vehicle, when it was located on Remora Drive. As deputies started up the road, the suspect turned the gun on herself.

"Deputies approached the vehicle and found a second victim in the back seat who had been shot.

"After identifying the suspect and victim, deputies proceeded to the suspect's house on Cocoa Drive and found 4 additional gunshot victims.

"Out of the 4 victims, 1 was pronounced dead at the scene and the other 3 were transported to the hospital.

"The suspect was pronounced dead on arrival at Moses Cone Hospital.

"Three of the victims were put on life-support."

From WFMY News...

"That's Just Not Like Her"

"THURSTON COUNTY, WA — Homicide detectives were called to a home near Lacey where police believe a woman shot her husband Wednesday morning.

"Police said they received a call about the shooting in the 9100 block of Steilacoom Road Southeast at 5:20 a.m. from a private security company within a retirement community after an alarm was likely triggered by gunshots.

"Police officers said they entered the home to find an 83-year-old man dead, and his 51-year-old wife critically injured.

"Lt. Greg Elwin with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said both had been shot in the head.

"Detectives said they think the woman shot her husband, then herself. Detectives found a handgun in the home.

"`Our preliminary investigation at this point indicates that this is a murder, with an attempted suicide,` said Elwin.

"As investigators combed the scene for evidence, neighbors tried to think about what would have prompted the shooting.

"`That's just not like her. So, there's something that has happened somewhere along the line that we don't know anything about,` said Helen Surprenant, a caretaker at the community.

"`It's just a shock, because they were a nice, quiet, as far as we know, a nice couple,` said neighbor Roy Bernd.

"Police confirm they had never been called to the residence for any domestic disturbances, and there were no reports of trouble in the marriage from anyone who knows the couple.

"Investigators are exploring the possibility that one of them was in bad health.

"`That's one of the first thoughts that comes to your mind in this type of situation. During today, we'll get ahold of caregivers and doctors and that kind of thing`, said Elwin."

From KIROTV.com...

Friends Find Bodies Of Couple

"EAST FINLEY, PA — State police in Washington, Pa., are investigating the apparent murder-suicide of a husband and wife in East Finley.

"In a statement released early this morning, police said Robert and Marty Winchester were found dead Saturday afternoon in their Cracraft Road home with gunshot wounds. Police did not release any further information, including the age of the victims, who fired the gun, or a motive, except to say that the couple died some time Saturday morning.

"They were reportedly found by friends who came to visit the couple in the late afternoon."

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...

UPDATE:

10/10/2011 — Wife was the shooter...

"She Had Been Researching This For Months"

"SANDY, UT — Detectives believe the gunshot deaths of a Sandy couple last week were a case of murder-suicide.

"Sandy police Sgt. Jon Arnold said evidence indicates that Beckie Boudreaux, 66, shot and killed her husband, Stephen Boudreaux, 69, and then turned a handgun on herself.

"`Our preliminary investigation does indicate homicide-suicide,` Arnold said Tuesday. `There is no indication that Stephen was aware of Beckie’s plans or the financial struggles that appeared to be the motive behind Beckie’s choices.`

"Arnold also said Boudreaux family members had found `documentation that indicated she had been researching this for several months.`

"The shootings occurred late Sept. 22, and the couple’s bodies were found just before 1 p.m. Friday in the Boudreaux’s garage by a neighbor near 1900 Quail Crossing Lane. The neighbor had gone to investigate after noticing the Boudreaux’s garage door had remained open overnight.

"The couple were found dead in one of the two cars parked inside the garage.

"Arnold said that early last week Beckie Boudreaux had called her lawyer asking what would happen to debt in the case of suicide."

From The Salt Lake Tribune...

Elderly Woman Shoots Husband, Self

"HARLINGEN, TX — Harlingen police are investigating a domestic violence incident where a woman reportedly shot her husband.

"It all happened at a trailer park off Business 83 and Stuart Place Road around 8 a.m. Tuesday.

"An elderly man is dead after receiving a gunshot wound to the chest while his wife is hospitalized for a gunshot wound.

"Neighbors [said] that the couple had recently moved.

"The neighbors said the woman had mental health issues and shot her husband but police are not confirming that infomation at this time.

"Further details are not immediately available but police are continuing to investigate the case.

"Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District officials put Stuart Place Elementary School under lockdown for fifteen minutes as a precaution."

From ValleyCentral.com...

Divorce, Financial Troubles Drove Woman To Murder/Suicide

"FARMINGTON, MI — Farmington Hills police said they’re investigating the apparent murder-suicide of a husband and wife who were going through a bitter divorce and severe financial trouble.

"A 52-year-old woman fatally shot her husband, 53, with a handgun before turning the weapon on herself Friday night, police said. They found the couple dead after a friend of the woman’s called police because she’d gone to the home and no one answered when she knocked, despite both family cars being parked at the house on Orion Court off Middlebelt north of 12 Mile Road.

"Both died of single gunshot wounds to the head, police said. They were not being identified pending notification of relatives.

"Police said the couple was in deep financial distress that included a failed business. The husband had moved out of their home about five days ago but returned Friday night for a meeting with his wife.

"The couple did not have children, and there was no history of domestic violence at the home, police said.

"The woman had tucked a note into her waistband, but police would not reveal what it said."

Source: Detroit Free Press...

Mental Health Issues Preceded Murder/Suicide

"GRANVILLE, OH — Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said the deaths of a 42 year old Granville woman and her 8-year-old son appear to be a murder-suicide.

"Deputies responded to a call of a shooting at about 1:15 p.m. Saturday and arrived at 4245 Outville Road to find Joyce Straight, 43, and Jeremy Straight, 8, each dead from gunshot wounds.

"The shootings appear to have taken place sometime between 4:30 a.m. when the woman’s husband left for work and 1:14 p.m. when he returned home.

"Detectives say it appears Mrs. Straight took the life of her son with a firearm and then turned the gun on herself.

"A report from the sheriff indicates that Mrs. Straight may have been experiencing some mental health issues which may have been a factor in the deaths.

"Autopsies will be performed Monday and detectives continue to talk to family members, according to Sheriff Thorp."

From nbc4i.com...

UPDATE:

08/02/2011 — Shooter was heavily medicated...

Detectives Suspect Patient Killed Psychiatrist

"MCLEAN, VA — Police are investigating what they believe is a murder-suicide involving a McLean psychiatrist and his patient.

"Two people were found dead in a McLean home in the 8600 block of Tebbs Lane Friday afternoon. Police were called to the home at approximately 4:15 p.m. for a report of gunshots. Officers found the bodies of two people, a man and a woman.

"The man has been preliminarily identified as a 71-year-old resident of the home, where he lived and worked as a psychiatrist. The woman, 62, had been his patient. The preliminary determination of detectives is that the patient shot the doctor, then herself.

"Identification of the man will be withheld pending an autopsy. The woman’s identify is being withheld until family members are notified. The investigation is continuing."

From WJLA.com...

Suicide Bid Fails After Wife Shoots Hubby

"WARNER ROBINS, GA — An apparent murder-suicide attempt Friday in Warner Robins left a man dead and a woman in critical condition, according to a news release from Warner Robins police.

"About 6 p.m., officers went to 119 Jay Drive after receiving a report that there was a dead person there. According the report, officers found Brian Smith, 30, of Warner Robins, dead with several gunshots to his upper torso and then found his wife, Ebony Smith, 30, in the back bedroom. Officers determined she had shot her husband and attempted to kill herself by taking medication, according to the report.

"Ebony Smith was taken to the Houston Medical Center for treatment and is currently listed in critical condition, according to the report. She is being charged with felony murder in connection with this incident, according to the report."

From macon.com...

A Woman Scorned

"ALBANY, GA — Prosecutors say a woman who killed her ex-boyfriend and herself late Sunday night also planned to kill another woman.

"Luckily, that woman wasn't at the man's northwest Albany apartment when the killer showed up with a gun.

"The District Attorney says the killer told a relative she planned to kill everyone in the apartment.

"The investigation into the fatal shootings is still ongoing, but Prosecutors say it appears to be a jealousy driven murder suicide.

"Prosecutors say the woman started an argument at 30 year old Michael Williams apartment on Graystone Lane about 4:00 Sunday afternoon. And then returned about 11:30 Sunday night and shot Williams in the chest, then shot herself in the head.

"The two bodies were found inside Michael Williams home in Greenbriar Apartments. Police say 28-year-old Marissa Nisbett, the woman killed in the double shooting, was William's ex girlfriend."

From WALB.com...

Wife Is D.O.A. After Killing Husband

"NORCROSS, GA — A woman shot her husband to death Saturday night before turning the weapon on herself, Gwinnett police confirmed Sunday.

"Gwinnett police Cpl. Edwin Ritter said the couple would be identified Monday.

"The murder-suicide occurred just before 11 p.m. Saturday in the 6300 block of Zachary Road, near Norcross.

"Police say the man died at the scene; the woman was pronounced dead upon arrival at Gwinnett Medical Center."

From ajc.com...

UPDATE:

06/20/2011 — Husband shot while sitting at computer...

Two Women Found Dead In Apartment

"E. PENNSBORO, PA — East Pennsboro Township police told us they are investigating a murder-suicide in Cumberland County.

"Police said they responded to the Sterling Court Apartments around 1:00 p.m.

"Officers report they found two women, who appear to be in their 40's, dead from gunshot wounds.

"They said there was also a boy in the house at the time. His relationship to the women is unknown. Police said he was not hurt, although he was taken to Holy Spirit Hospital."

From WHTM...

Two Women Die In Auto Shop Murder/Suicide

"COLUMBUS, OH — Police believe that a disgruntled customer shot and killed an employee at a west side auto shop on Friday morning before walking across the street and taking her own life.

"Police were called to the Ohio Engine and Transmission Exchange, located at 3265 McKinley Ave., shortly after 9 a.m., 10TV News reported.

"Initial 911 calls indicated that a secretary inside the business was shot, police said.

"Investigators later confirmed that a female employee was killed. Her identity was not immediately released.

"Police said the woman suspected in the shooting walked across the street afterward and shot and killed herself, Hirsch reported.

"Her identity was not immediately released.

"Police said that the woman was upset over work that was performed on her vehicle..."

From 10tv.com...

Mom, Daughter Found Dead

"DEVILLE, LA — A woman in Deville apparently shot her 6-year-old daughter to death and then killed herself, authorities reported.

"Killed were Stacey Cosenza, 40, and Joleigh Cozenza, 6, in the Thursday shooting incident at 675 Barron Chapel Road in the Deville area, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office.

"Officials say it appears to be a murder-suicide, but the incident is still under investigation."

From towntalk.com...

Corndog Couple Found Dead

"AUBURNDALE, FL — Family members and a neighbor found an Auburndale couple dead in their bedroom Monday in what may have been a murder-suicide, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

"Corndog vendors Anthony Hill, 54, and his wife, Mary, 48, were last seen alive about 6 p.m. Saturday.

"Family members trying to reach Anthony Hill for his birthday entered the couple's locked home on 108 Sunny Lane on Monday and found them dead. The sheriff's office was notified about 6:20 p.m.

"Monday was Anthony Hill's birthday.

"Anthony Hill had been shot once in the back of the neck and once in the side of the head. Mary Hill was lying next to her husband on the bed with a single gunshot wound to the head and a black and silver semi-automatic handgun in her right hand, according to the sheriff's office.

"The Hills had been married since 1993 and lived in their home for about 10 years. They ran a corndog-vending business that operated at carnivals.

"The couple had been expected to travel to South Dakota for the beginning of a state fair and carnival season that would have ended at next year's Strawberry Festival, according to the sheriff's office.

"The investigation is ongoing."

From The Orlando Sentinel...