Sunday, December 11, 2011

Jefferson City, MO: Police: Ex-cop killed ex-wife, her boyfriend

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Authorities in Missouri say a former sheriff's deputy is suspected of killing his ex-wife and her new boyfriend before leading officers on a high-speed chase that ended with a shootout at an upscale hotel hosting a Christmas party.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Sunday identified the murder victims as 32-year-old Annette Durham, of Salem, and 39-year-old Steven Strotkamp.

The suspected shooter — former Dent County Sheriff's Deputy Marvin Rice — was in fair condition at a Columbia hospital after being wounded in the shootout.

Rice was captured at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, where about 500 doctors, nurses and their families had gathered for a Christmas party. Among the hotel's other guests were members of a youth hockey team. No guests were injured.

Dent County Sheriff Rick Stallings said a witness reported Rice, 44, of Salem, shot a male and a female on Saturday and then took a 2-year-old child who he dropped off with a family member. Stallings said authorities were alerted at 6:30 p.m. to the deaths in a rural part of the county.

Stalling's statement said law enforcement officers, tracking Rice's cell phone signal, chased the former Dent County deputy north on Missouri Highway 63. Other law enforcement agencies were alerted and also began pursuing Rice. Several attempts were made to stop Rice's vehicle using spike strips as the chase reached speeds of 100 mph, according to local news reports.

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