Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Police: Girlfriend’s death preceded shooter’s by hours


June 16, 2009 11:26 pm




By Jeff Lehr
jlehr@joplinglobe.com
MONETT, Mo. — Investigators are classifying the shooting deaths of a Monett couple Sunday night as a murder-suicide after receiving preliminary autopsy findings.
An autopsy was conducted Monday at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield on Curtis Brandon Carter, 26, and Shelly Kay Garner, 31.
Carter and Garner were found shot to death shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday in their home at 805 N. Euclid St.
Garner’s body was discovered in a bedroom. She had been shot twice. Monett police said in a news release that two shell casings were found in the bedroom.
Carter’s body was found in the living room. He had been shot once in the head. A high-powered rifle was found near his body. Police said the SKS rifle is known to have belonged to Carter.
Investigators determined that the rifle was used in both shootings. All the evidence at the scene indicates that Carter shot Garner in the bedroom, police said.
Investigators believe that several hours then passed before Carter shot himself in the head. The autopsy showed that Garner had been dead significantly longer than Carter, police said.
A single shell casing was recovered in the living room.
Police who were called to the residence at 9:45 p.m. found all the doors locked. They could see a man’s body in the living room and forced their way into the home.
Garner’s 6-year-old daughter, who lived with the couple, was not home at the time of the shootings.

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