LAPEER COUNTY, Michigan — A prominent Lapeer County attorney was slain by her husband Tuesday night in an apparent murder-suicide that also left their 10-year-old son shot in the leg, authorities said.
View full sizeLara Stutz, 43, of Imlay City was killed in an apparent homicide-suicide Tuesday.
Investigators believe Lara Stutz, 43, a past president of the Lapeer County Bar Association, was shot to death by her husband, Marcel Stutz, 42, who investigators believe then took his own life.
The couple’s 10-year-old son called police from the family’s Imlay City home about 6:20 p.m. to report a domestic violence situation.
Shortly after arriving at the home, Imlay City police officers heard gunshots from inside and were told by a 911 dispatcher that three children were inside and a woman possibly had been shot, according to state police.
Unsure whether Marcel Stutz still was alive and dangerous inside the house, officers stayed outside and called in the state police emergency support team.
“You don’t want to risk another life if you don’t have to,” said Lapeer County Prosecutor Byron Konschuh, who added that some members of the state police team had to travel from Lansing and Ann Arbor.
A second-floor bathroom in which the son and his two sisters, 8 and 5, had locked themselves inside had no window through which police could access the children, Konschuh said.
Police entered the house, 264 Palmer Street, at 9:20 p.m. and found the parents dead and the boy with a gunshot wound to his leg.
“Our entire law enforcement community came together to try and reach a positive result in an extremely tragic situation,” said Konschuh. “There’s nothing worse than watching three children be taken out of a home where they possibly just witnessed their parents dying. ... The end result here is a complete, complete tragedy.”
The boy was hospitalized at Lapeer Regional Hospital. The two girls were unharmed and were released to Lara Stutz’s parents.
State police Lt. Gary Parsons said Wednesday afternoon that the boy was doing well.
The incident remains under investigation to determine the sequence of events, Parsons said.
Parsons said he doesn’t know how many shots were fired, but only one gun was found at the scene.
Konschuh said Lara Stutz was a well-known attorney who was a “very strong” advocate for her clients.
“She was one of those almost annoyingly sweet, nice people that was very pleasant to be around,” he said. “She’s a huge loss to our legal community.”
One of her law partners, Gary Howell, said Stutz cared deeply for her family, clients and the community.
“This type of tragedy is beyond explanation,” said Howell. “Lara was a warm and caring person who was an exceedingly talented attorney.
Stutz had spent 15 years as an attorney, primarily practicing in domestic relations, estate planning, probate, criminal, business and real estate law, and also headed Imlay City’s Zoning Board of Appeals, according to the law firm’s website.
Stutz started her law career as a judge advocate general in the Air Force, attaining the rank of captain. She earned her law degree in 1993 from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Neighbors in the area were shocked by the deaths.
Walter Schiller, 84, lived in the neighborhood for 36 years and never had heard of anything like this happening before.
“I was dumbfounded,” said Schiller, who lived a couple of houses down from where the shots were fired. “It’s a pretty quiet, peaceful neighborhood. ... The little I knew about (the husband and wife), they seemed like decent, nice people.”
Jeff Grigg, 88, said he knew something unusual had happened when he saw police cars lining both sides of his street.
“It just kind of stunned me,” said Grigg. “I don’t think I’ve even heard the neighbors squabble.”
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