Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Tarrant, AL: Police: Love triangle led to murder/suicide

TARRANT, AL (WBRC) -
There's new information about a murder-suicide case in Tarrant. Sunday's violence all stemmed from a love triangle.

Friends and family of the suspect and victim told investigators that 20-year-old William Keith of Pinson was quite vocal about how he was going to kill 25-year-old Preston Floyd. So much so that he walked from Pinson to Tarrant, a 10-mile walk, to carry out the murder.

The men were fighting over one pregnant girl. Which one's the father? And who she's dating? Was it Floyd or Keith? Investigators say she was seeing them both. Now both men are dead.

"It's difficult. It's hard," said Floyd's sister, Jessy Freeze.

Freeze still can't believe her brother is gone. Sunday night, Tarrant police say Keith entered the home with one thing on his mind, to kill Floyd.

As for the girlfriend, "She was behind the door," said Tarrant Police Chief Dennis Reno. "Mr. Floyd had told her to get behind the door and hide because they knew Mr. Keith was coming into the house with a gun."

Police say Keith shot Floyd several times then fled in a car. But he didn't get far.

As police approached the car, they heard a single gunshot. Officers fired back. It's now believed the single shot was Keith taking his life. "It's very frustrating to think they would ruin their entire lives," said Chief Reno.

Floyd's friend, Dwight Thornton said, "Preston [Floyd] was there because he loved somebody and wanted to take care of her and her child."

Freeze said, "He would do anything to protect her and that baby. Just knowing the thought it was his, it was his baby in his mind."

Keith was recently released from jail on domestic violence charges. Those charges stem from an incident involving the woman at the center of this love triangle.

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