Martins Ferry, OH: Police: Man Who Killed Wife, Self Had Criminal Charges Pending

MARTINS FERRY, Ohio --
A Martins Ferry man who police said killed his wife and himself had two criminal cases pending against him, including weapons charges, officials said.
Police said Randy Shrodes shot and killed his wife, Amy, before shooting and killing himself Thursday morning.
According to court records, Shrodes had two pending criminal cases against him. In the first case, he pleaded not guilty to failure to control a vehicle and operating a vehicle under the influence. His original court date was set for Aug. 31, but was continued until Sept. 2, the day of the murder-suicide.
In the second case, Shrodes was charged with using a weapon while intoxicated and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle. He entered not-guilty pleas to both charges and was facing an $85 fine.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Shrodes crashed his motorcycle into a median around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 on state Route 7 near Shadyside. Investigators said Shrodes and another person on the bike were not seriously injured. Shrodes refused to take an alcohol test, so troopers cited him with OVI.
Troopers said Shrodes had a .38 caliber gun on him at the time, which led to the weapons violations charges. Though Shrodes had a carry permit, he was not permitted by law to carry the gun while drinking alcohol.
Shrodes had to surrender his gun to the OSHP the night of the crash, but investigators said he apparently had a shotgun at home, the one used in the murder-suicide. Police also said they found several other guns locked in a case inside the home after the murder-suicide.
The morning of the murder-suicide, Martins Ferry police said they did not know about the weapons charges Shrodes was facing.
The couple, who were both in their 50s, had two children and were grandparents. Randy Shrodes is the son of ex-police chief and former Mayor Lloyd "Bud" Shrodes, who passed away last month.
Randy Shrodes was a former city employee but was recently unemployed. His son, Jeremy, said his father had been going through a rough time but nobody saw this coming.
Neighbors called Martins Ferry police at 10:20 a.m. when they heard two gunshots. When police arrived at the home, the couple was dead, they said.
Police said they had never responded to a domestic incident at the couple's 1411 N. Ninth St. home.
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