Thursday, August 5, 2010

Grady County, GA: Seven siblings watch dad kill wife then himself

Posted: Aug 05, 2010 7:13 AM EDT
Updated: Aug 05, 2010 7:13 AM EDT

By Christian Jennings - bio | email

GRADY COUNTY, GA (WALB) – A husband and wife are dead after a murder-suicide Wednesday night. Investigators say the husband shot and killed his wife, then killed himself, all in front of their seven children. It happened at 125 Terrace Temple Circle in Grady county.

You could see the pain in Jennifer Girley's eyes as she watched two men put her cousin's body in an ambulance.

"I'm really devastated, still in shock, can't believe this happened," said Lucretia's first cousin, Girley.

Just after nine at the Grady county home investigators say Marquee Simpson killed his wife Lucretia Simpson before turning the gun on himself. And the shooting played out like a horror film in front of their seven young children and Mrs. Simpson's mother.

"She loved her children. She was a Christian woman," said another cousin of Lucretia's, Gerald Hardy.

Family members say Marquee Simpson had a history of domestic violence against his wife and Mrs. Simpson had moved out of their home and into her mother's home, the home where she died Wednesday night, three months ago.

"She tried to leave him and he wasn't accepting it," said Girley.

So he showed up Wednesday night with a gun.

"He shot her four times, then shot himself in the head," said a family member.

Their seven children, ages 5- 12 ran...crying and terrified.

"I would never think he would do anything like that," said Hardy.

As investigators gathered in front of the house over the couple's bodies, family members could only think one thing.

"I can't believe she's gone," said Hardy holding back tears.

They only wish something had been done sooner, before domestic violence turned deadly leaving seven kids without parents, only vivid painful memories of this night.

Now the GBI and the Grady county Sheriff's office are investigating. The children were not hurt and are staying with other family members.

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