Aledo, IL: Aledo deaths investigated as murder-suicide

The two people found dead after an Aledo fire and explosion last Thursday may have died in a murder-suicide, a Mercer County official said Tuesday.

“We’re really looking at murder-suicide now,” Mercer County Coroner Ron McNall said about the deaths of Patti Jo Lindquist and Timothy Gerald Meade.

McNall had earlier confirmed that the two were killed by gunfire.

Lindquist and Meade were in a two-story house at 1275 200th St., along a gravel country road off Illinois 94 north of Aledo, after officers were called at 3:28 p.m. to check on the welfare of someone there.

They found the home engulfed in flames and the bodies of Lindquist, 40, and Meade, 53.

“They’re investigating as to how it took place and who done what, but they were both shot,” McNall said “The fire did not cause their death.”

The coroner declined to tell the location of their gunshot wounds or where their bodies were found in the rubble after the fire was extinguished.

Lindquist had filed an order of protection against Meade, and they were living together in the house.

According to the order of protection filed last week in Mercer County, Lindquist claimed Meade was going to “knock her out” and he was “also going to make her watch him kill himself.”

Those accusations from a June 30 incident were detailed in a July 2 order filed by Lindquist, who filed it under the name Patti Eash. She previously was married to Steven Eash.

The order also indicated the two had a dating relationship and shared the rural Aledo home. In addition, the order indicated Meade possessed shotguns, rifles and semi-automatic weapons.

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EARLIER STORY

Gunfire killed the 2 people found dead after Aledo explosion

The two people found dead after an Aledo fire and explosion last Thursday were killed by gunfire, Mercer County Coroner Ron McNall said today.

Patti Jo Lindquist and Timothy Gerald Meade were found in a two-story house at 1275 200th St., along a gravel country road off Illinois 94 north of Aledo, after officers were called at 3:28 p.m. to check on the welfare of someone there.

They found the home engulfed in flames and the bodies of Lindquist, 40, and Meade, 53.

“They’re investigating as to how it took place and who done what, but they were both shot,” McNall said. “The fire did not cause their death.”

The coroner declined to tell the location of their gunshot wounds or where their bodies were found in the rubble after the fire was extinguished.

Lindquist had filed an order of protection against Meade, and they were living together in the house.

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EARLIER STORY

'She was a sweetheart,' friend says

ALEDO, Ill. — All Patti Jo Lindquist needed was clothes for the weekend when she came back home after having filed an order of protection against her live-in boyfriend, Timothy Gerard Meade.

A friend of Lindquist recalled those final actions Monday as she continued piecing together last week’s incident that resulted in two deaths.

“She was a sweetheart,” said Lindquist’s longtime friend, Tiff Chinlund of Aledo. “She had this smile. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t like her.”

Chinlund said she’s still in shock over what happened.

Lindquist and Meade were living in a two-story house at 1275 200th St., along a gravel country road just off Illinois 94 north of Aledo.

She hadn’t been there in days before she returned sometime Thursday, Chinlund said, adding that Lindquist was trying to avoid Meade.

“She didn’t see his car there, so she went inside,” Chinlund said.

Officers were called to the home at 3:28 p.m. Thursday, initially to check on the welfare of the residents. What they found was a home engulfed in flames and the burned bodies of Lindquist, 40, and Meade, 53, partially buried in the rubble.

Over the weekend, Mercer County sheriff’s officials concluded that Lindquist and Meade did not die from the fire. The investigation continued Monday, with no new information released about the causes of the two deaths or the source of the fire and explosion.

No one knows exactly what happened, but Chinlund said Lindquist and Meade had a rough relationship, and Lindquist began to grow more and more afraid of him.

“He was very possessive,” Chinlund said. “If he couldn’t have her, no one could.”

Mercer County records show Patti J. Eash filed an order of protection against Meade on July 2. Lindquist was previously married to Steven Eash, court records show.

Chinlund also confirmed that Lindquist had an order of protection against Meade.

Officials did not release Meade’s hometown, but records show an address for him at 2206 Atalissa Road, Atalissa, Iowa.

There was also an envelope with Meade’s Atalissa address among the rubble at the Aledo property on Monday.

It’s unclear whether Lindquist owned the rural Aledo home. Her father’s name, Robert Lindquist, is on the mailbox. The family owns a farm and another home a half-mile up the road. No one was at the other home to comment Monday.

A pile of rubble and partially collapsed walls are all that remain of the home where Lindquist and Meade died. In the yard was a pile of papers from the Carpenters Pension Fund of Illinois. Lindquist, an electrician by trade, was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 145 in Moline, according to her obituary.

A child’s swing hung from a tree in the front yard and a bird feeder hung from another tree. Neighbors weren’t home next door to ask about the chickens still clucking from the coop behind Lindquist’s house.

Lindquist left behind two daughters from previous marriages.

Chinlund first met Lindquist years ago when she taught her daughter at a Head Start center in Aledo.

“She was a wonderful mother and a wonderful person,” Chinlund said.

Her friend wishes Lindquist had taken someone with her when she went back home Thursday.

“Maybe she’d still be with us today,” Chinlund said.

Auburn, WA: Man charged with second-degree murder in stabbing death of Auburn man

The King County Prosecutor filed a charge of second-degree murder against a Seattle man Thursday afternoon, accusing him of stabbing another man to death in Auburn during the early morning hours of July 2.

Marcus Frounfelter, 24, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. July 19 in courtroom GA at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent for allegedly killing Roger Roberts, 23.

Frounfelter is in jail at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center on $1 million bail.

According to the Auburn police affidavit of probable cause, which forms the basis of the single charge, Roberts had intervened to break up a fight between a man and woman and was preparing to return to a friend's house across the street when Frounfelter, who had not been involved in the fight, stabbed the unarmed Roberts in the chest. The King County Medical Examiner reported Roberts died of a single stab wound to the heart.

Frounfelter later told police that he had come outside because he had seen his youngest child in the street among the fighting adults. According to witnesses cited in the affidavit, however, none of Frounfelter's children were outside at that time.

According to the affidavit, the series of events that led to Roberts death started with a verbal argument between Frounfelter's aunt and her live-in boyfriend in their home at 909 6th St. SE then became violent and spilled into the front yard and onto the street in front of the house. Frounfelter was in the house at the time.

Friends in a house across the street, including Roberts, were enjoying a get together when they heard the noise and ran out to break up the fight. According to court records, a man who lives in that house held the male side of the fighting couple down to make sure he wouldn't hit anybody, while another man restrained the woman and one of her female acquaintances.

According to the affidavit, witnesses told police that the fighters had calmed down and the neighbors were walking home when Frounfelter emerged from the house. Just as the neighbor across the street reached his front yard, he turned back to urge his friends, including Roberts, to return with him, but instead saw Roberts stumbling into the street. According to the affidavit, he thought at first that Roberts was having a heart attack, which would have been consistent with previous medical problems, but he soon realized that Roberts had been stabbed. The man told police that he tried to stop the bleeding. He said he hadn't seen the actual stabbing.

According to the affidavit, a female witness told police that after the fight was broken up she turned and saw Roberts lying in the street. When she realized he'd been stabbed, she turned to Frounfelter, whom she knew carried a knife.

According to the affidavit, the woman approached Frounfelter "who had wide eyes, and asked him, 'what did you do?' [She] stated that Frounfelter did not respond but looked down at his hands."

According to the affidavit, the woman noticed then that a knife was still open in Frounfelter's left hand and that there was blood on his hands. She again asked him what he had done, but getting no response and believing him to be in shock, she slapped him in the face.

Within minutes of receiving the 911 call, police caught up with Frounfelter in a car with several occupants inside several blocks away, a bloody folding knife still in his pocket, according to the affidavit. Asked if he had stabbed anybody, according to the affidavit, Frounfelter allegedly admitted to police that he had "but didn't know who he stabbed." According to the affidavit, he admitted also that the knife on his person was the one he had used to stab his victim.

According to the affidavit, Frounfelter allegedly admitted to detectives that he had had about five to six beers and a couple of hits of marijuana before the fight. He told detectives that he suffers from brain trauma, has undergone some 19 surgeries to correct the problem and has suffered a series of strokes.

In their request for the high bail, prosecutors noted that "Mr. Frounfelter is no stranger to knives or stabbings," having stabbed a man in the chest in 2009. In that case, he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. In 2002, while he was still a juvenile, prosecutors continued, Frounfelter pleaded guilty to third-degree assault for threatening a man with a knife. At the time of the fatal stabbing, Frounfelter was on probation for a reckless driving conviction.

Harris County, TX: Harris County man jailed after pickup kills his wife

A 51-year-old man is in jail after a night of drinking ended in his wife's death, deputies say.
Anthony Kay Miller and Karen Jordan Miller, 50, got into an argument Saturday night while he was driving his 2010 Chevrolet Silverado southbound near the couple's home on the 18900 block of Shay.

The woman jumped out of the passenger side while the truck was in motion. She was then run over by the dually tires of the truck and died at the scene, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Anthony Miller was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Deputy Thomas Gilliland said it was not clear whether further charges would be filed against Miller in his wife's death. Miller does not have a criminal history in Harris County, records show.

"It's horrible," Gilliland said. "She jumped out and we don't know why."

Neighbors reported that after the incident they saw the woman lying in the middle of the street, bleeding. The police soon arrived on the scene and she was pronounced dead.

Marin Gonzalez, a neighbor who lives about two houses down from the couple, was among those gathered at the scene Saturday night.

"We were right in the middle of it. ... This threw everybody for a loop," Gonzalez said. "We are all completely shocked."

He said Jordan Miller and her first husband moved to the neighborhood several years ago. Her first spouse died in an accident about a few years ago, he said. He said Jordan Miller has three grown children.

Gonzalez said he had previously heard the couple fighting and had seen police respond to their home previously.

"Why would someone jump out of a car?" he said. "A lot of us can't understand it."

Costa Mesa, CA: Police: Woman killed over business dispute

COSTA MESA – A 48-year-old man is being accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend of three years over after the two began arguing about a joint business.

Police said Thomas Michael Wilhelm shot his live-in girlfriend several times in a bedroom of their home Sunday evening, then tried to shoot himself with a shotgun.

Costa Mesa Police officials believe the shotgun misfired as officers arrived at the house along the 2900 block of Redwood Ave. According to a statement released by police, Wilhelm was not injured and was taken into custody.

Additional details into the shooting were released Monday morning by the Costa Mesa Police. Wilhelm is being held in Men's Central Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the county coroner, identified the victim as 45-year-old Christine Marie Murray.

Police were called to the Redwood Avenue home before 6:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a man with a gun, threatening his girlfriend inside the home.

When officers arrived, they heard what sounded like a single gun shot.

Murray was found in a bedroom of the home with several gun shot wounds to the chest.

Paramedics were called and Murray was taken to Western Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Wilhelm was found in the backyard of the house, the statement read.

"The relationship had soured considerably over the past two years, primarily as a result of differences over a small business they both shared," according to the statement.

Police recovered a small-caliber handgun at the home.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Costa Mesa Police at 714-754-5205.

Paris, TX: Man charged with murder in connection with wife's death

PARIS, TX -- Paris Police tell us a man has been charged with murder in connection with his wife's death.

Chief Bob Hundley says 42-year-old Byron Barrett was issued a murder warrant on Friday.

On April 28th, 43-year-old Donna Barrett was found dead in her home on Ballard Street.

Byron was arrested just days after the incident on unrelated charges including Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

Police say he has been in the Lamar County Jail ever since.

Walhalla, SC: Woman killed in murder-suicide remembered for dedication to Clemson

WALHALLA — Separate funeral arrangements were announced Sunday for a Walhalla couple who died Friday night in what authorities are calling a murder suicide.

Marge Putnam, 63, and her husband, Aaron D. Putnam, 70, were found shot to death in their kitchen around 7:15 p.m. Friday. Their grandchildren, who heard the shots next door and called 911, found them.

A memorial service for Marge Putnam will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of Sandifer Funderal Home. Friends can visit with family from 1 to 2 p.m. before the service.

A memorial service for her husband will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, also at the Sandifer chapel, with Masonic rites.

No further information on arrangements or from the Oconee County coroner's office was available Sunday, though autopsies were scheduled.

In a statement Saturday, Coroner Karl Addis had said a handgun was found lying next to Aaron Putnam. Addis said the husband appeared to have shot Marge Putnam before turning the gun on himself.

Marge Putnam worked at Clemson University as an administrative assistant for the Center for Real Estate Development.

Professor Elaine Worzala, the center's director, said in an email late Sunday that Putnam was a true joy to work with, had a positive attitude, was full of life and would be missed by all of those she knew at Clemson.

Worzala described Putnam as a terrific employee who worked at the real-estate development center for about three years and several other parts of the university in the years before.

"She truly had the Clemson spirit through and through," Worzala wrote. "She believed in One Clemson and was always ready to help and lend a hand."

The case is the first of two probable murder suicides that occurred in Oconee County this past weekend.

A father, William Brian Tippett, and his adopted daughter, Riley Nicole Dyar Tippett, died Saturday evening in the Foxwood Hills community near Westminster.

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office is investigating both cases.

Perry County, IN: Perry County man charged with murder of fiancee

PERRY COUNTY, Ind. — A Perry County man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his fiancee Sunday at a St. Croix residence.

Henry Lee Whistle, 36, who had been preliminarily charged with aggravated assault pending an autopsy on the body of Jamie Renee Stowe, 31, was formally charged with murder Tuesday morning Perry Circuit Court. He is being held without bond in the Perry County Jail.

The Perry County prosecutor's office said the autopsy conducted Monday determined the primary cause of death was blunt force trauma to Stowe's head, neck, chest and abdomen.

Whistle was arrested after Perry County Sheriff's deputies were called to a residence on 26790 North S.R. 37 about 8:14 p.m. Sunday in reference to a dead female.

Indiana State Police said a preliminary investigation revealed Stowe and Whistle had gotten into a physical argument.

Hephzibah, GA: UPDATE: Hephzibah woman is dead after possibly being strangled

HEPHZIBAH, Ga.--It's a death deputies are calling shocking, and neighbors are having a hard time understanding.

Kathiner Smothermon lives next to the victim and suspect. She says, "I saw cop cars, and I didn't understand what was going on, so I looked out and saw an ambulance, and I thought somebody had fell and hurt theirself."

But the police were responding to something much worse: a domestic dispute that turned deadly.

Smothermon says, "I cant see him hurting her on purpose, I really can't, cause he loved her too much."

Smothermon has lived next to Tiffany Salter and her boyfriend for years, and she says nothing could have prepared her for this.

"He's come over and cut my back yard, because I'm disabled and can't do it. He'd bring his riding lawn mower over and they'd pick up limbs and stuff," she says.

But Tiffany's boyfriend, Todd Goff, won't be cutting his neighbor's yard anytime soon. He was booked into the Richmond County Jail.

Deputies say they found his girlfriend dead in a wooded area behind the couple's backyard. Deputies say it looks like she was strangled to death. Deputies also say Goff was digging a large hole in the woods near her body.

Smothermon says, "You never really know what goes on in people's minds."

Investigators say Goff called his mother early this morning and told her he and his girlfriend had gotten into a fight. He said he choked her and she was not breathing. Goff's mother called 9-1-1 and rushed to her son's house.

Smothermon says, "I got dressed and I went out there, and she was to pieces."

And Goff's mother isn't the only one in pieces. The incident shattered the quiet Reynolds Street community, and all of those who knew the young couple.

Smothermon says, "It's going to be awful strange."

Salter's body is being autopsied at the GBI crime lab in Atlanta. Goff is being held at the Richmond County jail until the autopsy reveals the actual cause of death. Deputies say they will formally charge him after those results are in.

July 7, 2012

HEPHZIBAH, Ga--A Hephzibah woman is dead. Deputies believe she may have been strangled to death.

Richmond County Deputies and Hephzibah Police Officers responded to the 4400 block of Reynolds St around 6:50am Saturday for a domestic dispute with an unresponsive woman.

The woman has been identified as 22-year-old Tiffany Nicole Salter. Her body was found in a wooded area in the backyard.

Deputies say the suspect is 24-year-old Todd Goff. They say he called his mother and advised her that he and Salter were involved in an altercation and during the altercation he choked her and she was not breathing.

Goff’s mother in turn called 911. Goff was taken into custody at the scene after a brief struggle with officers.

Goff is currently being held at the Richmond County Jail in reference to the death of Salter pending the results of the autopsy which is being conducted on Monday in Atlanta. No formal charges have been brought against Goff at this time.

This investigation is in its beginning phases and further information will be released when it becomes available.

We're told Goff was caught trying to dig a hole in the wooded area near the backyard.

Salter's body has been sent to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy.

This is Richmond County's 18th murder for this year.

Brooklyn, NY: Couple, Grandson Found Dead in Bed-Stuy Apartment

A 7-year-old boy and a married couple were found dead in a Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment early Tuesday, police and relatives said.

The victims, identified by relatives as 44-year-old David Sherrod and 51-year-old Alma Cox-Sherrod and Cox-Sherrod's grandson Jaquan, all had gunshot wounds to the head. A firearm was recovered at the scene, police said. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Detectives believe Sherrod shot his wife and her grandson but no motive was immediately apparent.

Neighbor Barbara Peoples said she was shocked. It wasn't the first time the block has seen this kind of violence.

"In two years, this is the second time this kind of incident has happened," she said. " It happened in this building two years ago, a homicide-suicide on the fourth floor."

Authorities found the bodies in apartment 2A on Lafayette Avenue after someone called 911 to report a foul odor at about 2 a.m.

"It was horrible," said the woman, who did not want to give her name. "I saw some flies, too. And we called the cops."

Relatives of the adult victims said they worked for a management company that runs several buildings on the block. They had been married for two and a half years.

David Sherrod's sister, Diane Bennett, said she had no idea what could have happened.

"My brother was in good spirits, we talked ... like we always do. He was normal," Bennett told NBC 4 New York.

Police have yet to confirm the time of the shooting, though neighbors tell NBC 4 New York they believe it happened during a loud block party on Saturday.

Peoples said she thought she heard three gunshots that afternoon. When her grandson reminded her July 4 was just around the corner, "I said, 'Them was not firecrackers.'"

The investigation is ongoing.

Schuylerville, NY: Upstate NY woman charged with killing boyfriend

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. — Authorities say they've charged a 28-year-old upstate New York woman with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend.

State police say troopers and Saratoga County sheriff's deputies were called Sunday morning to a village of Schuylerville apartment, where they found 28-year-old Matthew Furlani dead from a gunshot wound. Police recovered a large-caliber rifle at the scene.

Police say Joey Paul shot Furlani during an argument in the apartment they shared. She was arraigned on murder charges in Town of Saratoga Court and is being held in the county jail without bail.

It couldn't immediately be determined if she had a lawyer.

Vichy, MO: Police: Patrol trooper's ex-boyfriend takes her hostage, then kills himself

VICHY, Mo. • The former boyfriend of a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper killed himself after taking her hostage briefly at gunpoint inside her home Wednesday, police say.

The ex-boyfriend who died has been identified as Clifford R. Karst, 42, of Warrenton. He lived on and off in Vichy, police say.

Karst had been with the Missouri Highway Patrol from 1994 to 2007. He resigned in 2007, said Capt. Tim Hull of the Missouri Highway Patrol's headquarters in Jefferson City. Hull did not say why Karst had resigned.

Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman said Karst apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a shotgun at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. He shot himself inside the home of his former girlfriend off Highway 63 in Vichy.

The female trooper, 39, was off-duty at the time. Heitman said police got a call that she was being held at gunpoint inside her home. She was able to break free and run outside, Heitman said. Police heard a single gunshot, Heitman said.

Heitman said there was a standoff that lasted only about 15 minutes. He and other deputies went into the home and found Karst dead. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday morning.

This case is being investigated by the Maries County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Green Bay, WI: Man charged in girlfriend's killing held on $500,000 bond

A man accused of stabbing his live-in girlfriend to death Saturday will be held in the Brown County Jail on $500,000 cash bond to await the balance of his initial appearance.

Richard S. Gardipee, 31, was charged Monday in Brown County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide as a domestic violence incident and with a misdemeanor obstructing charge. Court Commissioner Lawrence Gazeley set bond at $500,000 and scheduled Gardipee’s next court hearing for July 18.

Gardipee is accused of stabbing Wendy J. Botsford, also known as Wendy Garcia, at their home at 944 Christiana St. Saturday. He also is accused of struggling with an arresting officer.

A criminal complaint says Gardipee texted a friend at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday to ask what the prison penalty was for murder. Later that afternoon, Gardipee had blood on his clothing and knuckles when he went to the friend’s house, saying he “messed up,” and began crying. Gardipee left, and the friend, who previously thought Gardipee had been joking, called police.

A Green Bay police officer found Gardipee outside the house about 4:54 p.m. with Botsford’s 4-year-old boy, the complaint says. Gardipee refused to give his name, and when the officer told him police received a call that the woman resident of the house may have been hurt, Gardipee shoved the young boy toward the officer, saying, “You take him,” and ran toward the house. Police caught him before he could enter the side door, the complaint said.

Gardipee was laughing and thrashing to prevent police from searching him, and kept laughing as they handcuffed him and loaded him into a squad car, the complaint says.

Police found Botsford’s body on the basement floor. Her face and shirt were bloody, the complaint says.

Gardipee allegedly told police they physically began fighting that morning after she accused him of abusing pain killers. He allegedly said they threw things at each other and punched each other, and that he eventually picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed her.

Gardipee said he locked the woman’s son in a bathroom, then drove to his friend’s house to say he had hurt Botsford, then returned home, the complaint said. He had forgotten his key and used an ax from the garage to break in, the complaint says.

He changed out of his bloody clothing and took the boy outside just before police arrived, the complaint says.

Fifteen friends and family of the alleged victim sat in the courtroom during Gardipee’s initial appearance.

“You want a comment?” a man who had been weeping during the hearing asked a reporter afterward. “I’m asking everybody to pray for my grandson.”

Lindsay Smith identified herself as a long-time friend of Botsford’s. Smith said Botsford had been living with Gardipee at the home that she owned for about 2 ½ years but was in the process of breaking up with him.

Smith said she and Botsford made plans to go out Saturday evening and arranged to have Smith’s sister babysit the 4-year-old, but later, Botsford never responded to Smith’s text messages, and Smith assumed her friend just made other plans.

Smith said the 4-year-old boy was Botsford’s son from her former marriage. She said Botsford and Gardipee used to date years ago, then started their relationship up again about 2 ½ years ago.

She said Botsford worked at a local restaurant up until recently, when a health issue forced her to stop, and she had been working several parttime bartender jobs since then.

“She was a great mom, a great person, and she would never want to hurt anyone,” Smith said.

Detroit, MI: Man kills girlfriend, then himself during police chase in Detroit

Authorities said a man released from prison this year fatally beat and shot his girlfriend and then -- with officers from two departments in high-speed pursuit -- took his own life early Tuesday.

The tragedy stunned the family of Shawanda Spratling, 33, who had been secretly dating the man whom her father warned years ago to stay away from her, her father Fred Spratling said.

"It must've been 10 years ago -- I chased him out of this house myself," said Fred Spratling, 55, whose daughter lived with him in northwest Detroit.

On Monday night, "she sneaked out of the house to see him," Spratling said Thursday. His daughter's body was found on Elmira Street at Ohio, less than a block from the family's home, he said.

Police believe she was killed between 5:30 and 6 a.m., after which, 35-year-old Larry Crawford went on a crime spree, Spratling said.

Police said they believe his motive was to gather get-away money. Crawford was released from prison in January after serving time for assault, arson, felonious use of a firearm and resisting arrest, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records.

"After he shot my daughter, he robbed three restaurants, and the Southfield police ended up chasing him back into Detroit," Spratling said. With Southfield and Detroit squad cars in pursuit, Crawford fatally shot himself with his handgun while driving on Freeland in Detroit, Detroit police said.

His death was ruled a suicide from a bullet fired under his chin and up into his skull, a technician for the Wayne County Medical Examiner said Thursday.

Funeral services for Shawanda Spratling are expected to be held Tuesday but have not been set. She was the niece of Free Press staff writer Cassandra Spratling.

"Shawanda was caring, loving and always the live wire of the party," her sister Kyra Spratling, 31, said Thursday. Although Shawanda didn't have any children, Krya's 9-year-old son "was like her son -- they were inseparable," she said.

Family members have known Crawford, a former neighbor, for two decades, she said. Shawanda's death left her family grief-stricken, her father said.

But as family members gathered at his home, Fred Spratling said he had found one consolation in the tragedy: Crawford's demise.

"I'm glad he's gone -- I can say that," he said.

Visitation for Shawanda Spratling will be from 3-9 p.m. Monday at Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 W. McNichols, Detroit. Services will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, 2260 Hunt at Chene, Detroit.

Mableton, GA: Mableton Man Charged with Murder of 45-year-old Girlfriend

A shooting in Mableton just before 9 p.m. Saturday has left one woman dead. Cobb Police are calling the shooting a homicide.

According to Cobb Police Spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce, officers arrived to 988 Mable Street in response to a 911 call that a person had been shot.

When officers arrived, they found 45-year-old Janice Oates of Mableton dead on the floor from a gunshot wound.

Police have arrested Oates' live-in boyfriend, 46-year-old Thomas Schwartz, and charged him with murder.

According to neighbors who spoke to Channel 2 Action news last night, Oates worked at the nearby Dairy Queen.

They said Oates' boyfriend ran into the Dairy Queen screaming that she had been shot.

The neighbors said they had an idea who may have shot him, and that the person they had in mind was "a real bad guy."

Cobb detectives are not releasing the motive for the shooting at this time.

Schwartz is being held without bond at the Cobb County Jail.

Federal Way, WA: Man admits killing girlfriend in Federal Way

Federal Way police say a man admitted killing his girlfriend Friday night.

Police say the man entered a neighbor’s home in a trailer park at 3001 S. 288th Street at about 11:15 p.m.

"He asked if he could use our phone. He said that his wife just got out of the shower, and someone tried to kill her," said the neighbor.

Police say the man (Later identified as Kenneth Mace) eventually admitted that he killed Melinda O'Meara. Also, O'Meara was not his wife, but she reportedly was his girlfriend.

The neighbor called 911 and flagged down a security officer who was driving around the area. The officer detained the man, then forced entry into his home and found the victim, 20-year-old Melinda O’Meara, inside.

Police arrived and arrested the 29-year-old man for investigation of homicide. He’s been booked into the King County Jail.

"I've known him a long time. It's shocking," said Marianne Scott as she stood in front of a now boarded up home.

In the neighborhood where police officers spent several hours investigating the young woman's death residents like Tyler Rivera, cannot help but think about the victim.

"There's all that life ahead of them that they could be living," said Rivera.

Records show police had previous contact with the man, but no domestic violence incidents between him and the woman.

Jacksonville, FL: Arrest made in woman's stabbing, strangulation in Jacksonville home

Jacksonville police announced the arrest in the May 30 stabbing and strangulation of a 51-year-old woman in the 2300 block of Fourth Avenue.

Dennis Thurnado Glover, 48, lived two doors from Sandra Jean Allen and was in an intimate relationship her, homicide Lt. Rob Schoonover said. Tuesday he was charged with her murder.

Glover reported finding her dead inside her mobile home. Neighbors heard arguing and someone screaming, the Times-Union was told at the scene.

DNA evidence from a blood drop on a shoe belonging to Glover led to the arrest, Schoonover said.

Allen was stabbed several times in the neck. Glover told police he had seen someone leaving the scene.

Glover's girlfriend, who lived with him, said he had left their residence earlier that morning, and a witness described seeing a man matching his description at the house.

Westminster, SC: 2 dead, 1 injured in Oconee County murder-suicide

WESTMINSTER, S.C. (AP) — An Oconee County man is dead after a murder-suicide that also killed an 11-year-old girl and injured the man's wife.

Oconee County coroner Karl Addis says the 34-year-old man shot his wife and her daughter, then shot himself Saturday night. The wife was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital's trauma center.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, emergency dispatchers received a call from a man who said he had shot his family. Five minutes later, a woman called, saying she and her daughter had been shot and her husband had shot himself at a home near Westminster.

The man was found dead in the living room, while his 29-year-old wife was found several feet away from him. Her daughter was found dead in her bed.

Autopsies will be conducted Monday.

Bronx, NY: Bronx woman arrested in husband's stabbing death

NEW YORK — A Bronx woman has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of her husband.

Police were called to an apartment in the South Bronx at 4:40 a.m. Saturday. The initial reports were of a shooting, but when officers arrived they found 25-year-old Christopher Muse with one stab wound to his torso. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Muse's wife, Chrystal Muse-Mojica, also 25, was arrested on charges including murder and manslaughter.

No information on an attorney was immediately available.

Kyle, TX: Kyle man charge with murder in wife's death

A Kyle man has been charged in the murder of his wife, the Hays County sheriff’s office said Thursday.

The victim, 55-year-old Mildred Zedler, was found by emergency workers early Wednesday at a home in the 500 block of Palomino Road in Kyle needing urgent medical care, sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

Sheriff’s deputies said they had responded to the home shortly before 1 a.m. following a 911 “medical assist” call for Zedler. From there, San Marcos and Hays County emergency medical services workers took Zedler to Seton Medical Center Hays for treatment.

However, Zedler was pronounced dead at the Seton hospital shortly after 1:30 a.m., officials said. Medical workers at the hospital contacted sheriff’s officials to advise of a possible suspicious death.

In a subsequent autopsy examination, it was determined the cause of death was homicide, officials said.

Officials said Zedler’s husband, 55-year-old John Fredrick Zedler, was charged with murder and taken into custody.

John Zedler was in custody Thursday morning at the Hays County jail with bail set at $435,000, officials said.

According to court records,in 2004 he was charged with assault after hitting his wife in the head and throwing a rock at her leg. John Zedler pleaded no contest and was sentenced to six months of probation.

There were limited details regarding John Zedler’s role in the incident or a motive in his wife’s death.

“This investigation is still ongoing,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

St. Johnsbury, VT: Plea change set for Vt man charged in wife's death

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A change of plea hearing is planned for a Vermont man who is scheduled to go on trial this month in the stabbing death of his estranged wife.

Benjamin Berwick of Lyndon has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 45-year-old Anna Berwick in the parking lot of the Green Mountain Mall on Dec. 28, 2009.

The 51-year-old was found nearby suffering from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He is expected to go on trial on July 9.

Newton Falls, OH: Ohio police say gunman kills 5, including himself

NEWTON FALLS, Ohio —

A man shot to death four people, including his girlfriend and a child, then killed himself in a cemetery after authorities had surrounded him, police said.

Three of the people were shot in one home Friday, and another child who was there but not wounded ran next door after the shootings, telling neighbors that "Daddy's dead," relatives said. Police also said they heard yelling in a call from the home.

The gunman's girlfriend was later found dead in his home in the town of Newton Falls, near the Pennsylvania state line, police said.

The adults who died had spent the Fourth of July together on a lake in northeast Ohio, a relative said.

Officers surrounded the man, Robert Brazzon, 55, of Newton Falls, in the back of a cemetery where he shot himself after a brief standoff, police said.

Newton Falls police said they were interviewing someone else in connection with the deaths.

The victims were identified as Tracey Engler, 38, the suspect's girlfriend; and Rikki Cogley, 42, and his wife Kathy Cogley, 39. The name of the youngest victim was not released.

What led to the shootings was not clear, said Newton Falls police Chief John Kuivila.

Brazzon's daughter Lisa, who also said she was Rikki Cogley's niece, told the Tribune Chronicle of Warren that she found Engler's body inside her father's house.

"I can't believe it," she told the newspaper. "My whole family's dead."

The Cogleys' 5-year-old son ran from their home and went next door to the home of his aunt, said Tina Brazzon, who is Lisa's mother.

"He said, 'Daddy's dead, Daddy's dead,'" Tina Brazzon told The (Youngstown) Vindicator.

Police were not releasing audio of the 911 call made from the home. The call was made by one of the victims, investigators said.

Newton Falls is about 40 miles southwest of Cleveland.

West Palm Beach, FL: Sister of woman killed in murder-suicide said ex-boyfriend was abusive

WEST PALM BEACH —

While Marlena Jean Baptiste was celebrating the Fourth of July Wednesday with her family, her ex-boyfriend, Lenoris Lurry, was scrambling around town asking for people to give him three bullets.

The next day, Jean Baptiste, 25, and Lurry, 31, were found dead from gunshot wounds in the West Palm Beach apartment the couple once shared. Police are calling it a murder-suicide, with Lurry firing the fatal shots.

The couple dated for five years, but ended the relationship for good three months ago, according to Jean Baptiste’s family members. Lurry moved out, leaving only Marlena and her younger sister, Roshea Jean Baptiste, living in the apartment.

Roshea said she is convinced Lurry expected her to be home that afternoon, thus the need for the third bullet.

“If I was there he was going to kill me too,” the 22-year-old said today while sitting in her aunt’s home, her two brothers nearby comforting her.

Roshea discovered the bodies Thursday afternoon when she arrived at the apartment with her 3-year-old son, her cousin and her cousin’s daughter. She thinks Lurry was able to get inside because her sister likely left the door unlocked because she was expecting her. The bodies were found in the living room.

“It was a few minutes before we realized they were dead,” Roshea recalled.

Now the family is left wondering why Lurry, a man they took in as part of the family, killed the woman they knew as selfless — someone who had dreams of one day opening a day care, a boutique and finding a man to marry and have a family with.

“It hurts because of how she went but we have nothing but good memories,” said Jean Baptiste’s aunt, Meyon Cross.

Marlena, a Dwyer High graduate, acted as a mother to her three siblings and 11 nieces and nephews, her family said.

She worked at a local Best Buy for the past seven years and was expecting to start training at Wells Fargo to start a new career. She was taking classes at Palm Beach State College and had, after a few reconciliations, finally ended things with Lurry, her family said.

“He was a good person but he just got caught up,” Cross said.

Cross, Roshea and her brothers, Branden and Brodrick Cross, both 28, agreed that Lurry was good to Marlena. Brodrick’s children even called Lurry uncle. But the family said Lurry was too possessive and stalked her. She’d even have to park her car in another location when she arrived home so Lurry wouldn’t know.

Roshea said Lurry was abusive to her sister, forcing Roshea to stay at the apartment with the two because she knew he wouldn’t harm her sister if she stayed.

“He always threatened to kill her,” Roshea said.

While court records show Jean Baptiste filed for a restraining order against another man in 2009 — an order that was eventually dismissed — there is no record of her filing for one against Lurry.

The three siblings believe Lurry knew that the break up was for good this time, and that’s why he killed her, they said.

“She wanted to move on,” Brodrick Cross said.

Meyon Cross said her niece’s story can be an example for other women who are in abusive relationships.

“Love doesn’t hurt you like that,” she said. “If she didn’t want to be with him he didn’t want her to have anything. He was very jealous. He just let the devil use his mind.” She still believes Lurry did try to do everything he could to please her niece.

But the family said Marlena was already a very happy person loved by everyone.

Just hours before she was killed, Marlena updated her Facebook page with a new photo of herself and wrote that she was going to do some errands.

She bumped into her cousin, Shantel Hubbard, in a nearby Walmart. The two talked about her getting her hair done for Roshea’s birthday, which was today.

“She was happy,” Hubbard, 26, said.

“Because she knew she was going home,” Meyon Cross said as tears filled her eyes.

Vallejo, CA: Vallejo police shoot, kill armed domestic violence suspect

VALLEJO, Calif. —

Police shot and killed an armed domestic violence suspect in the parking lot of a Vallejo Safeway store early Wednesday morning, Vallejo police said.

Officers were dispatched to 142 Buss Ave. at 2:55 a.m. after police received a report that a man was hitting and possibly choking a woman at a home there.

While the officers were en route, police received another call reporting that the man had driven to a Safeway supermarket at 709 Lincoln Road West and was parked near the gas pumps there, police said.

The caller said the man had a gun, and gave police a description of his car.

Police arrived and located the man, later identified as 44-year-old Marshall Tobin, in the parking lot of the Safeway.

Tobin was inside the car, but as police approached he got out of the vehicle and the officers saw that he had a handgun and appeared to be distraught, police said.

They ordered Tobin to place his hands on his head, and when he didn't comply, they shot him with a Taser gun, police said. As the Taser was being deployed, Tobin allegedly reached for and grabbed his gun, and officers fired at him with their service weapons, according to police.

Tobin was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Vallejo police officer was hit by flying debris during the incident and suffered a moderate injury, police said.

Police Sgt. Herman Robinson said the debris was possibly a bullet fragment and that it had struck the male officer in the lower leg. He was treated for the wound and released.

Robinson said the woman who was allegedly being assaulted by Tobin appears to have been Tobin's girlfriend, and was not seriously injured. He said it was one of her children who called police to report the assault.

He said two male officers fired at Tobin after the Taser proved ineffective and Tobin reached for the gun.

Robinson said police have cleared the scene and left the Safeway parking lot. He said the store opened at its scheduled time Wednesday morning.

The shooting will be investigated by the Vallejo Police Department and the Solano County District Attorney's Office. The officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, as is protocol.

This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Vallejo in the past week. On Saturday, police shot and killed 17-year-old armed robbery suspect Jared Huey on Sheridan Street after they say he pointed a gun at them.

Columbus, GA: Columbus man charged with stabbing woman to death in Lakebottom apartment

Columbus police arrested a local man today on charges he stabbed to death his ex-wife in her Lakebottom area apartment.

Jarod Denorris Ingram, 27, was charged with murder in connection with the death last month of 28-year-old Ciara Anne Ingram. He was arrested at his residence without incident, police said, and taken into custody about 1:25 p.m. In addition to murder, he's charged with possession of a knife during the commission of a crime and two counts of cruelty to children.

Few details were available Sunday evening, and a police lieutenant could not say how investigators linked the suspect to the crime.

Jarod Ingram is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. Monday in Recorder's Court for a preliminary hearing.

Police had responded on June 8 to Ciara Ingram's residence at The Village on Cherokee apartments. She was found inside her apartment, and police said at the time that she could have been dead a week or longer.

An autopsy revealed Ciara Ingram died from stab wounds to her neck, Muscogee County Coroner Bill Thrower said.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/07/01/2106292/columbus-man-charged-with-stabbing.html#storylink=cpy

Ayden, NC: UPDATE: Suspect arrested in Greenville stabbing death

AYDEN, N.C. -- Greenville Police tell 9 On Your Side they've arrested 24-year-old Max Tejada for the stabbing death of 32-year-old Hope Cutler.

Our crew was there as police brought him in. We're told Greenville Police, U.S. Marshal Service, state SBI and the Pitt County Sheriff's Office assisted in the arrest. Tejada was arrested in Ayden.

Police say the stabbing happened around 7:30 Tuesday night at the Sedgefield Apartments on Concord Drive in Greenville.

Investigators say an argument broke out between Tejada and Cutler in the parking lot. When Cutler took out her cell phone to use it, witnesses say he took the cell phone, threw it, then stabbed Cutler. The suspect then walked away.

---Previous Story---

WASHINGTON, N.C. - Friends and family gathered to remember a murdered woman.

The funeral for 32-year-old Hope Cutler was at a church in Washington earlier this afternoon.

Investigators say she was stabbed at a Greenville apartment complex after an argument earlier this week.

Police are still looking for her suspected killer, 24-year-old Max Tejada.

If you know where he is, call police right away.

--- Previous Story ---

GREENVILLE,N.C.(WNCT) - Some of the same community members who witnessed a brutal murder, gathered to together to honor the life of the woman who was killed.

Greenville police are still looking for the man they say stabbed Hope Cutler multiple times after an argument.

The residents in the Sedge-Field Apartments, where Cutler was stabbed, organized a candlelight vigil for her.

Hearts were heavy, but the unity between those who came to honor the life of Hope Cutler was strong. Friends, family and those who only knew her name all came together pay their respects.

"She didn't deserve it regardless of what it was that kind of stabbing repeatedly, repeatedly nobody deserves that,” said Tracey Spencer, a witness to the attack and one of the neighbors who organized the vigil.

On Tuesday night police say Hope and her boy friend Max Tejada got an argument, and then he stabbed her multiple times.

"She was like ah he's stabbing me, he's stabbing me. She ran, she fell in the parking lot and when she fell, he stood over her, grabbed her legs, started stabbing her again,” said one witness.

And some of the same witnesses to the brutal murder wanted to put together this vigil in Hope’s honor.

"To let them know they do have some people that care and is praying for the family,” said Spencer.

"She fought and she did not give up and that's what I want people to know, that we are a good community we are not a bad community and we do stick up for one another,” said Tammy Suggs, who also witnessed the attack and helped set up the vigil.

For Hope's family, it was a sign of love they never expected.

“How much I appreciate these people and how much it's blessed my heart to hear them express themselves I just am overwhelmed,” said Mary Cutler, Hope’s grandmother

"The chips may be down and you may feel that there’s no one to help but God puts a ram in the bush and somebody is always going to be there and in this community we try to make sure to look out for one another,” said Suggs.

As they wait for justice to be served, they won’t let go of the special place Hope hold in their hearts…even those who never knew her.

"It could have been me it could have been my sister my mom anyone of my loved ones and I just wanted to show the family that this community we do stick together,” Suggs said.

"I don't understand a lot of things but I do trust God so I praise him today and that we can come together as one body. We'll miss her and just hope to see her again,” said Hope’s grandmother.

Hope’s funeral will be at the Hillside Funeral Home in Washington on Friday at 2 pm.

--- Original Story ---

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) - Greenville police tell 9 On Your Side they’ve obtained a warrant for the arrest of the suspect they say stabbed 32-year-old Elizabeth Hope Cutler of Washington to death.

Police say it happened around 7:30 Tuesday night at the Sedgefield Apartments on Concord Drive.

Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Max Albert Dorat Tejada, also know as Max Alberto Diaz.

Investigators say an argument broke out between Tejada and Cutler in the parking lot. When Cutler took out her cell phone to use it, witnesses say he took the cell phone, threw it, then stabbed Cutler. The suspect then walked away.

K-9 units were able to recover a knife from the scene but police don't know if it was the assault weapon. Several witnesses were at the apartment complex, and Greenville police say they have good leads.

Police say they don't know the relation between Cutler and Tejada. They do think the suspect was staying in the same apartment complex.

Police say Tejada is from El Salvador and could be considered a flight risk.

If you have any information about this case, you are asked to call Greenville Police at (252) 329-4315.

A vigil will be held at 7:15 tonight at the apartment complex in Cutler's honor.

Boynton Beach, FL: Questions remain about Boynton woman’s murder and boyfriend’s suicide in Boca

BOYNTON BEACH —

The quiet calm of a Boynton Beach neighborhood Friday afternoon belied the tragedy that occurred a day before when a 20-year-old student was found murdered and her boyfriend, who police suspect killed her, committed suicide hours later by jumping onto the path of an oncoming train.

Marcline Demosthene was found dead about 1:30 a.m. Thursday in a bedroom in a house in the 700 block of Northwest 8th Street. Police said she lived in the peach-colored single-story home with her boyfriend, 35-year-old Steverson Altidor.

Police believe Altidor killed Demosthene, although they would not say how she died other than ruling out being shot or stabbed.

Altidor fled the scene. He made it to the area of Spanish River Boulevard and Interstate 95, just south of the Boca Raton Tri-Rail station, where he jumped in front of a Tri-Rail train and died.

By Friday afternoon Boynton Beach Police removed the yellow crime scene tape surrounding the neighborhood full of well-manicured lawns. Letters were abandoned in the mailbox. Only two bikes and two chairs remained at the front door.

Property appraiser records show the home is owned by Herald Altidor, Herald Altidor Jr. and Cindy Altidor.

“Everything’s been quiet. I’ve known these people for a while,” said a neighbor who has lived next door to the Altidor family for about 15 years.

The neighbor, who did not want to give his name, said he was familiar with the Altidors but he did not know Steverson Altidor nor Demosthene.

He knew “Junior” played baseball while attending Boynton Beach High School and remembered Cindy as a child. He said he hadn’t seen her in a while.

According to Demosthene’s Facebook page, she too attended Boynton Beach High School and then Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. She wrote on her page that she was working in nursing.

Neighbors said they weren’t familiar with the Altidor family and would only see an older man sitting outside.

They all said that they often saw a number of people going in and out of the home daily.

“There’s been comings and goings there. It’s too close to home,” said neighbor John Ezelle.

Neighbor Bill Wright agreed: “The world’s getting more and more dangerous.”

East Flat Rock, NC: Henderson County woman charged with boyfriend's killing

EAST FLAT ROCK — A Henderson County woman who authorities say intentionally ran over a man following a domestic dispute was charged Saturday with his killing.

Roger Stewart Moody, 45, was killed when he was struck by a car while walking along U.S. 176 in East Flat Rock on Friday night, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Frank Stout said.

Officers charged Morgan Elizabeth Bishop, 24, with murder following an investigation that began with a report of a hit-and-run fatality about 11:30 p.m., Stout said.

Stout said deputies and troopers with the N.C. Highway Patrol were able to identify the victim. They went to Moody’s residence on Summit Knoll Park in Tuxedo to notify family of the death and found the vehicle used in the homicide, he said. The victim and Bishop lived at the same address.

Officers learned through interviews that the incident started as a domestic dispute between Bishop and Moody at a gathering of several people at a residence in East Flat Rock, Stout said.

“Moody had left the scene of the domestic on foot, and Bishop had tried to follow,” he said. “Once these efforts proved unsuccessful, she returned to the residence and got in her car.

“Upon locating Moody walking along U.S. 176 near the Time Saver and West Blue Ridge Road, she ran over the victim and fled the scene. Bishop was located, interviewed and subsequently charged with murder.”

Capt. Steve Carter said investigators learned what type of vehicle struck Moody from people who witnessed the assault.

Carter said deputies have responded to domestic violence incidents involving Bishop and Moody in the past.

“There was a history there,” he said.

Bishop was jailed under $500,000 bond. Her first appearance in Henderson County District Court is scheduled for Monday.

Charlotte, MI: 18-27 Year Sentence for Child Killer

Joshua Piercefield of Grand Ledge is sentenced to 18-27 years prison for the death of Olivia Truax, his girlfriend's 3-month-old infant left in his care in May of 2011.

CHARLOTTE - A Grand Ledge man is sentenced to 18--27 years in prison for killing a three-month old child last year.

Joshua Piercefield, 23, received his sentence Friday for the death of Olivia Truax. Truax was the infant child of Piercefield's girlfriend at the time. Prior to a trial, Piercefield pleaded guilty last month to second degree murder.

The child became unresponsive and had to be hospitalized during a family trip to Ohio. Medical personnel determined the child had suffered severe brain trauma. She never recovered and died May 10th, 2011. Following an 8-month investigation by state police, Piercefield was arrested. Investigators determined that Olivia suffered her head injuries during the two previous days while in P Piercefield's care at a home in Eaton Rapids.

"Today's sentencing hearing was the most emotional court hearing that I have witnessed during my 23 year State Police career. The victim statement read by Jessica Truax, the mother of Olivia, was one of the most impactful statements that I have heard; it truly detailed the sadness and heartache that the Truax family has experienced since Olivia's death", said Detective Sergeant Kyle McPhee, one of the lead State Police detectives on this case.

Chesnee, SC: Deputies: Man killed estranged wife, tried to take his own life

Late Friday afternoon, the tiny community of Fingerville made only the sounds of summer — a lawn mower whirred, a dog barked and an ice cream truck played its endless tune.

The sounds of the night before — gunshots followed by the emergency sirens — had faded.

There was no crime tape or indication of the tragic event that unfolded inside the brown, single-wide trailer at 120 Blackwell Street.

Spartanburg County Sheriff’s deputies responded there about 11 p.m. Thursday. Inside they found a husband and wife suffering from gunshot wounds.

Tammy Spivey Blackwell, 48, of Chesnee was pronounced dead, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office.

Harold Dean Blackwell, 48, suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to a written statement from the sheriff’s office.

Serious condition

Investigators think Harold Blackwell shot and killed his estranged wife, then tried to take his own life. He was in serious condition as of 9 p.m. Friday.

An autopsy on Tammy Blackwell was pending.

A long-time resident who asked not to be identified said Harold Blackwell was a “good-hearted man” who regularly checked on an older neighbor and had many good points. But Blackwell also had troubles, he said. Blackwell’s name was added to the prayer list of the church where the resident attends and “read” off every Sunday.

According to a SLED check, Blackwell had minor criminal charges as a young man; the most recent charge was criminal domestic violence for which he was convicted about 16 years ago.

A woman with a different address notified authorities of the shooting, according to an incident report.

Tyler, TX: East Texas man arrested, accused of killing wife

TYLER — Police have arrested a man in the fatal shooting of his 71-year-old wife in their East Texas home.

Tyler police said they took Bobby Nichols custody on Saturday.

The 75-year-old is being held in the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bail. An attorney for him was not listed in electronic records.

Tyler police spokesman Matthew Smyser said a man who identified himself as Dr. Bobby Nichols called 911 Friday night and said someone had been shot.

When officers arrived at the house they found Nichols and a dead woman who was later identified as Rosiland Nichols.

A motive for the shooting was not released. Police continue to investigate.

Woodbridge, VA: Man who killed wife at Va. Chick-fil-A restaurant gets 60 year sentence, 22 years suspended

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — A man who pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, walking up to her car at Chick-fil-A drive-through in northern Virginia and shooting her at point-bank range, will spend years in prison.

Daniel L. Everette was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison, but Prince William County Circuit Court Judge William Hamblen suspended 22 years of that sentence.

Prosecutors say Everette and his wife, 48-year-old Alice Jenkins Everette of Dumfries, were separated and in the midst of getting a divorce when Everette shot his wife in 2011.

Chicago, IL: Woman charged with estranged husband's beating death

A woman who hit her husband in the head with a baseball bat twice during a drunken fight has been charged with his murder, prosecutors said today.

Alice Tatum-Price, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of her husband, James Tatum, who died June 22, more than a month after the May 12 fight in the couple’s Austin neighborhood home. Tatum-Price was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail in a hearing today before Cook County Criminal Court Judge Donald Panarese, prosecutors said.

Tatum, 51, of the 5400 block of West Cortez Street, was declared dead just before 1 a.m. on June 22.

Tatum was drinking with his wife on May 12 when the two started arguing, police said. Tatum-Price, who was staying in Milwaukee, had a restraining order against Tatum and told police she shouldn’t have come to Chicago.

The two started arguing after having a couple of drinks, police said. At 10:41 p.m. on May 11, Tatum-Price called police because the couple were arguing and she “wanted to get away from her husband,” according to a court document. Tatum-Price called 911 again and tried to cancel the call, even though Tatum was angry with her and chasing her around the house, prosecutors said.

When Tatum sat down on a couch, Tatum-Price grabbed a wooden baseball bat from a corner of the rooom and said “come here you (expletive),” according to police and prosecutors. She hit him in the head twice, prosecutors said.

After hitting him, she put a pillow under his head and called 911. An ambulance took Tatum to Mount Sinai Hospital before police arrived and Tatum-Price told police what happened.

Tatum had bruises on his forearm from trying to defend himself from the bat, and Tatum-Price had no visible injuries except for a sprained finger, prosecutors said.

Investigators weren’t able to interview Tatum, but Tatum-Price was charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon the day after the fight. She was ordered held in lieu of $200,000 bail at that time, according to court records.

The medical examiner’s office determined Tatum died from cerebral injuries from blunt head trauma in a homicide, consistent with being hit in the head with a baseball bat.

Tatum-Price is scheduled to appear in Criminal Court Branch 66 again July 18.

Utica, NY: Murder-suicide victim expressed fears to police before killing

UTICA — Less than a week before she was gunned down by an estranged former boyfriend, 23-year-old Kylie Turczyn told Utica police she feared for her safety, authorities said Monday.

Because the incidents occurred outside Utica, however, Turczyn was told early last week to contact the proper police agency and to seek help through Oneida County Family Court, officials said.

But what Turczyn did next and whether she ever took steps to get a court order of protection still remain unclear.

In the meantime, authorities still are probing the events surrounding Turczyn’s murder on Friday at the hands of her former boyfriend, Thomas “TJ” Anderson Jr., to determine whether anything could have been handled differently.

“We can’t prosecute anybody in this case because the perpetrator is dead, but if there was a flaw in the system, if there was something that went wrong, we need to look at that and make a determination so this doesn’t happen in the future,” Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said. “Did something go wrong? At this point, it’s too early to say.”

Anderson, 27, of Utica, shot Turczyn repeatedly in the torso with a 9 mm rifle shortly before 1:30 p.m. while she cowered in the bathroom at her parents’ residence on Carver Street in Deerfield. An autopsy determined that Turczyn was not shot in the head.

Anderson then turned the gun on himself, ending a rollercoaster of domestic incidents and custodial disputes involving their 4-year-old daughter, Gabriella.

Previous charges dropped

McNamara plans to look at when Turczyn previously pressed charges against Anderson in early 2011 after she said he threatened to kill her following an argument. Turczyn later recanted her statement and told prosecutors that she “lied and made everything up” just to get back at Anderson for having sex with another girl, McNamara said.

Anderson’s harassment and contempt charges were dropped, and Turczyn pleaded guilty in March 2011 to making a false written statement, a misdemeanor, McNamara said.

Although Turczyn insisted at the time that she hadn’t been threatened to change her story, McNamara said he is already reviewing their video recorded statements to determine if any lessons can be learned in hindsight.

What’s clear at this point is that Turczyn met with Utica police domestic violence Investigator Elizabeth Shanley at the city police station early last week, police said. Because Turczyn was familiar with Shanley from past incidents, Turczyn reached out to Shanley regarding concerns about her safety.

Once their conversation revealed that the alleged incidents did not occur in Utica’s jurisdiction, Shanley referred Turczyn to state police, Family Court and domestic violence services, Utica police Sgt. Steven Hauck explained Monday.

Investigator ‘concerned’

Later that same night, Shanley did something police officers don’t often do on their own time, Hauck said: She contacted Turczyn’s family and told them to encourage Turczyn to seek help.

Because it’s not uncommon for domestic violence victims to reconsider police or court action, Shanley wanted to be sure Turczyn followed through, Hauck said.

“I just know that the investigator was obviously concerned, and she encouraged the victim to take all the steps that were needed,” Hauck said.

Turczyn’s family could not be reached Monday.

Although Hauck said he believes Turczyn attempted to appear in Family Court following her conversation with Shanley, the outcome of those efforts is not yet known.

State police also are continuing to piece together the circumstances of this deadly domestic incident.

“Our goal at this point is to investigate if there is a specific occurrence that triggered this incident, and we’ll also try to pin down the origin of the weapon that was used and any domestic history between the victim and the perpetrator,” state police Troop D Capt. Mark Lincoln said.

Because both people are dead, Lincoln agreed with McNamara that the outcome of their investigation may offer a larger opportunity to improve how such cases of domestic threats are handled.

“The reason we’re doing all this is for the benefit of the family and for the police, to try and learn if anything can be done differently on incidents like this in the future,” Lincoln said