Friday, April 2, 2010

Worthington, OH: Worthington man, wife both die of gunshot wounds

Police trying to determine how wife was killed
Thursday, April 1, 2010 2:52 PM
BY JIM WOODS AND TED DECKER
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JONATHAN QUILTER | DISPATCH
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation agents look over the scene of a shooting at 384 Caren Ave.

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James Calvert was known as a pillar of his neighborhood.

JONATHAN QUILTER | DISPATCH
Neighbors said James Calvert had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

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A 78-year-old Worthington man died early this morning after shooting himself in his home yesterday, but an autopsy failed to reveal whether he killed his wife or she committed suicide as he had claimed.

James Calvert died at 1 a.m. at Riverside Methodist Hospital of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said.

Jean Calvert, 75, also died of a gunshot to the head. After the autopsy and a meeting with police, the coroner has ruled the cause of her death undetermined.

Gorniak said a gun was not found with Mrs. Calvert. But Mr. Calvert told workers with a tree service outside their home that she had committed suicide before he went back inside their home at 384 Caren Ave. and shot himself about 5 p.m.

Original story:

Police trying to determine how wife was killed
Thursday, April 1, 2010 2:54 AM
After he was diagnosed recently with brain cancer, James Calvert seemed to become more agitated over little things.

That might explain why a possible disagreement with his wife, Jean, escalated into a tragedy, said a neighbor who had known them for more than 40 years.

Worthington police continue to investigate what happened yesterday in the shooting death of Mrs. Calvert, 75, and the wounding of her husband, 78, in their home at 384 Caren Ave.

Mr. Calvert was in critical condition late last night at Riverside Methodist Hospital, police said.

"We don't know what went on in the house," said Worthington Police Lt. Michael Dougherty. He said it's still not clear whether Mrs. Calvert shot herself or was shot by her husband, but police said Mr. Calvert likely shot himself.

A neighbor said that Mrs. Calvert told her she was upset over what a tree service was doing yesterday afternoon and had argued with a worker. She went back inside, and workers with the tree service said they heard raised voices inside.

Then Mr. Calvert walked outside.

"He stepped outside the door and said his wife had committed suicide," Dougherty said. The workers then watched him go back inside and heard a gunshot. One of the workers called 911.

But no one had heard a first gunshot. The Calverts were both found just inside the front door of the home that they'd owned since it was built in 1965.

Neighbors told police that Mr. Calvert has brain cancer and said they thought it could be a factor, Dougherty said.

Janene Carpenter said she'd heard from other neighbors that Mr. Calvert has been "not at his best" since he developed cancer.

Another neighbor, who described the Calverts as "fabulous friends," was distraught last night and wouldn't give her name. But she said she has no doubt the brain cancer clouded Mr. Calvert's judgment.

He received the diagnosis a few weeks ago and had been told his condition is terminal. Mrs. Calvert had said her husband seemed to be bothered by many little things that he used to let pass and he became agitated easily. For example, the friend said, he complained to Worthington City Hall that people were speeding on his street. This week, the city police department placed a speed-monitoring device on his street because of the complaint.

"He would make comments about people not paying attention to their property," the neighbor said, noting that was completely out of character for him.

She and other neighbors said the Calverts were known as the anchors of their Worthington Estates neighborhood.

Mr. Calvert was somewhat of a community activist, having led a successful effort 10 years ago to keep a topless bar from operating in Worthington.

He organized Citizens for a Better Worthington to keep the Olympus bar from operating on Wilson Bridge Road.

A retired engineer, Mr. Calvert was known for his electric car with the license plate "Amps R Us" and the meticulous attention he devoted to his yard.

Brian Luca, a McGreegor Street neighbor, said he enjoyed talking to Calvert about the car, and the couple always paid a lot of attention to his children.

"They were the nicest people," Luca said.

Dispatch Assistant City Editor Brenda Jackson contributed to this story.

jwoods@dispatch.com

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