Monday, September 10, 2012

Missouri Heights, CO: Identities released in Missouri Heights murder-suicide

Eagle County authorities have identified the two people killed in an apparent murder-suicide shooting Saturday in Missouri Heights as Andrew and Judi Mazeika.

Authorities have not said who they believe the shooter was, but that the incident appears to be a murder-suicide. An autopsy to be performed Monday will help determine the cause of death, according to Eagle County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jessie Mosher.

Andrew Mazeika was 68, and Judi Mazeika was 54, Mosher said. They were married.

A neighbor of the couple called 911 around 11:30 a.m. Saturday to report hearing screaming, followed by shots fired. Authorities responding to the scene found Judi Mazeika deceased in the front lawn of a home on Vega Drive. Andrew Mazeika was also in the yard, alive but in critical condition. He was transported by Basalt EMS to Valley View Medical Center in Glenwood Springs, where he died. Both had gunshot wounds.

Mosher said a handgun was used in the shooting, but she could not say how many shots were fired.

She also added that Eagle County deputies had never responded to reports of domestic violence involving the couple. They had owned a home in the neighborhood since 1988, according to Eagle County property records.

The couple had an adult daughter, who was not present at the time of the shooting, Mosher said.

Judy Mazeika worked seasonally for the Aspen Skiing Co., and Andrew Mazeika was a former employee of the company, SkiCo spokesman Jeff Hanle confirmed.

“We are deeply saddened at this news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Hanle said in a statement.

Friends of the family also said that Andrew Mazeika had recently battled cancer, but had seen his health improve.

A neighbor on Vega Drive, who asked that his name not be used, said the incident was shocking, and that he hadn’t seen signs of trouble before the shooting.

“They were great neighbors and good people,” the person said. “That’s about all I can tell you.”

Missouri Heights is located in between El Jebel and Carbondale, and is in the portion of the Roaring Fork Valley under the jurisdiction of Eagle County.

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