Intimate Violence Deaths in the News

FORT KNOX, Ky. (WHAS11) – The Fort Knox couple who died Friday in a double shooting have been identified as Spc. Christopher and Krista Meeks.

Police responded to their residence in the Oak Park neighborhood shortly before 4 A.M.  after receiving a 911 call from their residence.

Responding officers heard gunfire and entered the home where they found the pair with gunshot wounds.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command said the incident may be a result of an apparent domestic dispute.

According to police reports, Spc. Meeks was a human resources specialist with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. He’s been at Fort Knox since March 2011.
The last murder at Fort Knox was in 1993.

The names of the victims will not be released by authorities until 24-hours after the families are notified. Two children at the home at the time of the shootings are now in the custody of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services.

RAYMORE, Mo. — For just the second time since the turn of the century, Raymore Police are investigating a homicide.

It happened early Saturday morning and a suspect has already been arrested and is behind bars.
Danielle Beckett,30, died at the hospital Saturday, less than an hour after police say her husband Erick Beckett shot her.

Despite this being their first holicide case in six years, detectives quickly made an arrest.

“We got a 911 call here today that a woman had been shot,” Raymore Police Captain Jim Wilson told FOX 4 News.

The woman was later identified as Beckett, who lived on South Sunrise.

“Once the victim was taken to the hospital, two other individuals were taken to Raymore Police Department for interviews,” Wilson said.

One of the people investigators interviewed was Beckett’s husband Erick.  While he was at police headquaarters, detectives waited on a search warrant.  Once it was in hand, they got to work.

“They were just investigating the scene and gathering a little bit of evidence,” Wilson told FOX 4 News.

Whatever evidence detectives found — combined with Beckett’s interview led to a first degree murder charge against Beckett.

Wilson says cases like this one just don’t happen very often in Raymore.

“It’s been several years, several years,” he said.

More than six years to be exact.  In late January 2007, 31-year-old Sheldon Haynes had just returned home from a night of bowling, when he was shot and killed in his driveway.

Before Haynes was killed, it had been almost seven years since a murder had been committed in Raymore.

“It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood and we take pride in neighborhood and the patrolling the officers do too,” Wilson said.

Beckett is being held in the Cass County Jail.  He will be formally charged on Monday and is also expected to make his first court appearance.

FARGO, N.D. — A Fargo man is accused of killing his wife in a case that was originally reported to police as a suicide.

Ronald Rogers Jr. is charged with two counts, including a felony murder charge that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Bail was set at $1 million cash.

Authorities say that 46-year-old Rogers killed Elizabeth Rogers. The 40-year-old woman died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Police say the preliminary investigation indicated the pair were arguing Tuesday night when Elizabeth Rogers fired the gun at her husband and then shot herself when he tried to take the weapon away.

But investigators say the crime scene and autopsy revealed inconsistencies with the original report.

Ronald Rogers is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

A St. Mary’s man identifying himself as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service remained jailed without bond after a brief court hearing Wednesday on charging papers alleging he went into his estranged wife’s home, dragged her out a window and beat her to death.

James Mitchell Carter, 46, was “holding onto the hope” of reconciling with Kimberly Dawn Carter, witnesses told police, but court papers also state that she recently told him that she was going to soon serve him with divorce papers.

Kimberly Carter also planned to change the locks on Tuesday to her Great Mills area home because she feared her husband had made a copy of her daughter’s key, according to charging papers alleging he appeared in her bedroom at about 3 a.m. that day.

“Mitchell, No!” Kimberly Carter yelled as she and a boyfriend awoke, court papers state, and the suspect initially got into a scuffle with Thomas Norris, who struck the suspect before running outside.

The attack on Kimberly Carter commenced, initially inside the home located in the Greenview West housing area off Chancellor’s Run Road, according to a statement of probable cause filed by detective Cpl. William Raddatz of the St. Mary’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

“Then, it appears she was taken out of the basement window and brought to the yard,” the detective wrote. “At this point, she was beaten repeatedly with a blunt object in the face.”

“They think it was a brick, a patio brick,” St. Mary’s State’s Attorney Richard Fritz (R) said this week.

Kimberly Carter died at the scene, and police found James Carter a few hours later at his home in a housing area off Route 5 near Great Mills. Court papers state that he told the law officers that he left his three young children there early that morning while he went out to “drive around,” including stopping at 1 a.m. at a bank in California.

Police found the suspect had several minor injuries, court papers state, including scratches and a large cut on his hands, a bruise on his lip and scratches on his chest. The law officers found more blood on Wednesday as their hunt for evidence took them to Willows Road near Lexington Park.

“They found some bloody clothes on the side of the road that they assume are those of the person who is alleged to have committed the murder,” Fritz said. “They will be subject to forensic investigation, DNA testing.” Carter was charged with second-degree murder in his wife’s death, as well as first-degree burglary.

Witnesses told police Kimberly Carter locked her doors before she went to bed, court papers state, and the prosecutor said there was no evidence of a forced entry to the residence.

She and the suspect had been separated since the middle of last year, court papers state, when she moved out of their home.

A resident of the neighborhood where Kimberly Carter died this week said she moved in there about six months ago. “She was a really nice person,” the neighbor said.

James Carter told a court commissioner after his arrest this week that he worked at the post office in Great Mills, and that he had been employed by the postal service for 13 years. An employee at the post office declined to speak Thursday about Carter’s employment.

Bruce Macomb, 62, faces a first-degree murder charge for the strangulation of Beba Macomb, 58, early Thursday at their home of 30 years.

Police found the woman's body Thursday afternoon after someone called 911 and asked them to check on the couple at their home at 1620 W. Warren St., just east of South Federal Way.

Bruce Macomb walked out of the home when police arrived and had an injury to his neck, officers say. Police then went inside and found his wife's body.

Police say they have developed undisclosed evidence that Bruce Macomb killed his wife and injured himself. Bruce Macomb was taken to a local hospital for treatment for the neck wound and was arrested after his release early Friday afternoon.

The homicide occurred three days after Matthew Mohler-Kerns, 28, was fatally shot in his car on Franklin Road. No charges have been filed in that case, although Shawn Nathan Fisher - in jail on other charges - is considered a person of interest.

Police have released no information about a possible motive in the Macomb homicide, which investigators believe was premeditated because they recommended prosecutors charge it as a first-degree murder case.

Lynn Hightower, spokeswoman for the Boise Police Department, said they had other possible witnesses in addition to Bruce Macomb, but she declined to release more details.

Bruce Macomb was booked into the Ada County Jail shortly after noon Friday. He won't be able to ask for bond until he makes his first court appearance Monday afternoon.

Public records show Bruce and Beba Macomb lived at the Warren Street home since 1983. A woman who answered the phone at a relative's home declined comment.

Bruce Macomb does not have a felony record in Idaho, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in 1996 and has had a few traffic infractions since.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/02/23/2463007/husband-arrested-for-wifes-death.html#storylink=cpy

COGAN STATION, Pa. — Authorities in central Pennsylvania are investigating the death of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a burning sport utility vehicle as a possible murder-suicide. 
Officials in Lycoming County told The (Williamsport) Sun-Gazette that the bodies of 42-year-old Seth Snyder of Hepburn Township and 38-year-old Cherilyn Kephart were found in the SUV outside his parents’ home along route 973. 
Chief William Solomon of the Old Lycoming Township police department says investigators believe Snyder used an accelerant to set the fire at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday. 
Court records indicate that he had been arrested last fall on a charge of assaulting the victim. Under a protection from abuse order later granted to her, the two were to have no contact other than exchanging custody of their two young children.

Fairfield Police say 40-year-old man killed himself during a standoff sparked by a domestic violence incident Saturday night, Feb. 23.

Douglas Garni of 245 Sunnyridge Ave. Apt. 23 was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police heard a single shot around 11 p.m.

Police were called to the Colonial Gardens Condominium Complex at 7:24 p.m. Initial reports indicated a verbal domestic disputebetween a boyfriend and girlfriend inside the condo. The girlfriend escaped to a neighbor’s condo, followed by Garni. There she reported being threatened and requested police.

Garni, police said, returned to his residence after officers were called.

The first arriving officers interviewed the girlfriend and learned Garni had several weapons registered to him, which were inside the condo.

A perimeter was set outside the condo awaiting the arrival of the emergency services units.

Bridgeport and Fairfield ESU, along with Fairfield and Norwalk hostage negotiators arrived on scene attempting to make contact with Garni, according to Fairfield Police.

Several nearby condos had to be evacuated and those residents were assisted by Fairfield firefighters. Residents were relocated to Fire Station 2 for the duration of the incident.

American Medical Response and Fairfield Fire Department personnel remained on scene and staged in the area of High Street and Raymond Drive in the event they were needed to provide medical assistance. The Fire Department also provided a heat seeking unit to help the ESU teams.

For several hours negotiators unsuccessfully attempted to make contact with Garni by phone and audible PA systems, police said.

Around 11 p.m., a single gunshot was heard from the wooded area just north of Garni’s condo. ESU members closed the perimeter, searching the wooded area, which quickly led to the discovery of Garni’s body.

Preliminary reports indicate that he sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

The area remained an active crime scene until 2 a.m. Sunday, until the scene could be processed by detectives and the State Medical Examiner’s office personnel concluded their on-scene investigation.
Police expressed sadness at the outcome of the situation.

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana man has been charged with assisting suicide for allegedly making a noose for his estranged wife, who later used it to hang herself. Nicholas E. Ellisof Greentown faces one count of assisting suicide in Jessica Ellis' death. He's being held at the Howard County Jail on a $25,000 bond. The Kokomo Tribune reports court documents say Jessica Ellis had a history of suicide attempts and told a friend her husband had made a noose for her and put the rope in her vehicle so "she could use it on herself if she wanted to." The friend said Jessica Ellis' husband reminded Ellis about the noose Dec. 9, the night before her body was found hanging from a rafter at a Kokomo park's shelter house.

KENTWOOD, LA (WAFB) -
Authorities have released the names of a couple killed in a murder-suicide earlier this week in Kentwood.

The bodies of Jonathan Williams, 30, and his wife Mallory Ricks Williams, 26, were found by a family member on Tuesday morning.

Investigators say Jonathan shot and killed Mallory, then turned the gun on himself inside their home on Hwy. 1057.

Baltimore police have identified the man and woman involved in a reported murder-suicide in the Pen Lucy neighborhood.

The man was identified as Alvin Baird, 36, and the woman as 33-year-old Candace Baird. Both were found dead in a home in the 3900 block of Frisby Street on Tuesday evening.

Later that evening, police reported through their Twitter account that homicide detectives were investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.

Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk, a police spokesman, said no further information was available about the incident because the investigation is ongoing.

VALLEY CENTER — A Valley Center couple who sheriff’s officials said died in a murder-suicide were identified Thursday by the Medical Examiner’s Office as Miguel and Eleonore Ataide. The 48-year-old woman died of multiple gunshot wounds, and her 41-year-old husband died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, an investigator for the office said. Her death has been ruled a homicide. Miguel Ataide’s mother heard her son arguing with his wife Tuesday night at the couple’s house in Valley Center, the investigator said. Gunshots were heard moments later. The son told his mother he had just shot his wife, and he went into his bedroom and closed the door. The mother called 911. Deputies and paramedics arrived at the house on Littlefield Lane near Oak Trail Road about 9 p.m. The son was found dead in the bedroom. Sheriff’s homicide investigators said both the son’s mother and the wife’s mother had been visiting at the house for several weeks. The wife’s mother also was in the house when the shots were fired. Investigators said it was not known why the couple had been arguing.

INDIANAPOLIS - A couple was found dead in a home on the city's east side after an apparent slaying-suicide, Indianapolis police said.

Just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, IMPD officers were sent to a house in the 1800 block of North Priscilla Avenue on reports that two deceased individuals were inside the home.

When officers arrived, they found the body of a man and a woman.

Homicide detectives identified the victims as married couple Brandy Payne, 27, and Cory Gaines, 31.

The Marion County Coroner had yet to confirm the cause of death, but the police report stated that officers found a gun at the scene.

Investigators said the couple had no prior instances of domestic violence.

Family members said the couple had been married for six years.

The father of four who went on a shooting rampage in the family’s Miami home was once known for a more uplifting reason – his love of aviation and hot-air ballooning.

Carlos Zuniga, 45, took his own life Wednesday night after shooting his wife, Michelle, 43, and children Lauren, 14, and Stefan, 11.

Stefan died Thursday. Lauren and her mother remain in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
    
The sudden spasm of violence in the quiet Coral Way-area neighborhood left detectives, relatives and friends struggling to understand why Zuniga turned on his family. The family had no apparent history of domestic violence.

Certainly, there were clues. He had held several different jobs in the past few years — and most recently, appeared to be closing the family’s hot-air ballooning company, said family friend Colin Graham.

The couple opened the company in 2005 under the name Winds Aloft Aviation Inc. It was commonly known as Miami Balloon rides.

Graham, who worked as a balloon pilot for the family and now runs Arizona’s Endeavor Ballooning, called Michelle Zuniga “a great mom.”

“Michelle and the kids were great people. She is an absolute sweetheart. I have nothing but good things to say about her,” Graham said. “Stefan looked just like his father. Almost identical, like a mini-version of him.”

Zuniga had recently put one of his balloons on sale on an industry website. Graham said he knew the family still enjoyed hot air ballooning recreationally, but did not seem to be doing so well professionally.

The company’s website appears to be defunct, the phone number disconnected.

Carlos Zuniga recently had started working as an aviation safety inspector at the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA recently announced it would have to make major cuts – including furloughs for employees – under federal sequestration.

Before the FAA, Zuniga worked as a pilot for DHL, an international package shipping company, and before that, flew 737s for Miami Air.

The Zunigas were married in 1998. Neighbors said Carlos Zuniga also had two adult children from a previous marriage.

In an interview with The Miami Herald in 2011, Michelle Zuniga said they founded the company so she could spend more time with her family. The company has taken thousands of people on hot air balloon rides in South Florida.

“We fly in the Redland,” she said. “It’s a beautiful area, and you have a fantastic view of the ocean, the Everglades and what is in the southern part of Dade County, which people don’t even know exists.”

On Wednesday night, a neighbor called 911 shortly after 9:30 p.m. about a disturbance, possibly shots fired, at the home at 2610 SW 24th St.

Miami police rushed to the scene. Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told The Miami Herald that he had heard four “pops.”

Neighbor Xavier Cal, who lives next to the Zunigas, said he saw a woman collapse on the patio in front of her home Wednesday night.

“She was lying on the lawn,” he said. “Later, I heard the last shot inside the house.”

Miami police spokesman William Moreno said Thursday morning “screaming and possible gunshots were heard from inside the home,” as officers arrived.

“Officers quickly assembled a small team and made entry into the home to protect those in danger,” Moreno said.

Miami homicide detectives hope to learn more about what may have caused the tragedy when Michelle Zuniga’s relatives arrive from out of state. She remains in critical condition, unable to talk.

“We’ve never heard them fight. The police have never come to the house,” Cal said of the Zunigas.
“I’m in shock.”

“It’s an extremely calm neighborhood,” said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, who lives about five blocks from the Zuniga residence. “Never, in my 30 years here, have I seen a violent crime in this neighborhood.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/21/3245888/11-year-old-dead-2-others-wounded.html#storylink=cpy

The two people dead after an apparent murder-suicide early Thursday divorced just last month.

According to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, about 2:40 a.m. Robert Wade Brazell, 42, of Kingsland, entered Barnsley Gardens Resort where Angela Player, 37, was a clerk.

Brazell shot Player before fleeing into nearby woods. The BCSO said deputies, assisted by the Georgia State Patrol and a GSP helicopter, searched the area in an attempt to locate Brazell, who had refused to come out. He was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.

BCSO Public Information Officer Sgt. Jonathan Rogers said, “All I can tell you is that it is family-violence related” when asked for a motive. According to a press release, the pair had divorced in January.

Located on 3,300 acres in Adairsville, the resort felt the impact of Thursday’s shooting.

“Barnsley Gardens Resort is a close-knit family and this unprecedented tragedy is felt across the resort. We grieve for the loss of our friend and colleague, a warm and caring woman who worked devotedly alongside us for nearly five years. Our thoughts, prayers and support are with her family at this time,” said General Manager Michael Gordon. “We want to thank the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism and expedient work this morning. This tragic incident serves to reinforce and remind us all of the serious nature of domestic violence.”

Rogers declined to comment on how Brazell gained access to the campus and where in the resort the incident took place. He also declined to comment on any possible confrontations the pair may have had or whether there was any indication Brazell planned the attack.

Although a mugshot for Brazell was released, no details on his criminal history — and if he had been violent in the past — were released when sought. Rogers declined to comment on whether Brazell had the gun legally.

Rumors spread Thursday that Brazell may have stalked Player, although Rogers also declined to comment on those allegations and whether a protective order was in place.

According to the release, no further information is being released as the investigation is ongoing.

A 23-year-old man was ordered held without bail Tuesday in the death of his estranged wife's boyfriend.

Anthony T. Utterback was charged with second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony for allegedly stabbing Ryan P. O'Donnell early Friday. Police arrested Utterback soon after the incident in South Omaha.

Officers found O'Donnell injured near 40th and Y Streets shortly after midnight. The victim was taken to Creighton University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A prosecutor told Douglas County Judge Sheryl Lohaus that Utterback had confronted O'Donnell, who was dating his estranged wife. Utterback allegedly pulled a knife and O'Donnell grabbed a crowbar.

The prosecutor said that Utterback stabbed O'Donnell with the knife and that O'Donnell struck back with the crowbar. Utterback appeared in court on crutches.

Both O'Donnell and Utterback have lived in Bellevue, but police did not release their current addresses.

O'Donnell's slaying was Omaha's fifth homicide of 2013. Police have made arrests in three of the cases.

A man wanted on a California parole violation warrant has been arrested in Las Vegas on a murder count in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Metro Police said.

Ricardo Glasgow, 53, of Los Angeles and his girlfriend Sharron Jones, 49, had been arguing Sunday night at a home in the 1500 block Silver Knoll Avenue, Metro Police said in a report released Tuesday.

Witnesses alleged that Glasgow threatened Jones with a knife earlier in the evening and said, “Nobody in this house can save you” and “you’re going to die,” according to the report.

Shortly after, Glasgow grabbed another knife from the kitchen, police said. Two women in the home saw Glasgow stab Jones multiple times with the knife, the report said.

The two witnesses tried to stop Glasgow by throwing things at him, but they were unsuccessful, the report said. They called police and fled to the roof, fearing Glasgow would turn the knife on them, police said.

Officers arrived at the home about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and saw the two women on the roof and Glasgow in the front yard, police said. His shirt had blood on it, and when police called to him, he went back inside, the report said.

When officers entered the home, they heard Glasgow say, “Come get me,” and “come see what I’m doing,” the report said.

The officers found Glasgow standing over Jones with a large knife, the report said. Glasgow didn’t obey the officers’ commands to surrender, forcing them to use a stun gun to subdue him, police said.

Jones, of southern California, was taken to University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 3:04 a.m. Monday.

Glasgow was wanted on California warrant for a parole violation stemming from an attempted murder charge in 2005, police said.

Glasgow was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on counts of murder with a deadly weapon, kidnapping with a deadly weapon, resisting police with a deadly weapon, and the fugitive warrant.

A suspect has been arrested in the Monday night shooting of a young mother found dead in the driveway of a DeKalb County home.

Carlos Jerome Simpson, 23, who lived at the Eagles Nest Circle home where the shooting occurred, was booked into the DeKalb jail early Tuesday, charged with felony murder, according to jail records.

Simpson’s sister, Lawana Simpson, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the victim, identified by police as 20-year-old Shikhira Dunson, was her brother’s girlfriend and the mother of his 10-month-old child.

Dunson was shot during an argument, according to DeKalb police Assistant Chief J.W. Conroy.

“Last night, I was bathing my kids and my son came in and said they were arguing,” Lawana Simpson said.

She said her brother went outside, and Dunson “came outside and was messing with him.”

“I didn’t know that my brother had the gun,” Lawana Simpson said. “He didn’t know it was going to go off.”

Lawana Simpson said her brother was pointing the gun at Dunson, and his girlfriend grabbed the gun and it fired. “She grabbed it and it happened quick,” she said.

Carlos Simpson drove away after the shooting, but was later arrested, Conroy said.

“It’s a tragedy,” said Charles Simpson, the suspect’s father.

“We loved her like she was our own,” he said of Dunson.

“This wasn’t no hate thing,” he said. “It just happened, and now she’s gone from us.”

The fatal shooting happened on the eve of the funeral for another of Charles Simpson’s children.

He said his oldest son, Charles Simpson Jr., was killed in prison earlier this month.

Charles Simpson Jr. was serving a sentence for aggravated assault when he died Feb. 10 during a scuffle at Smith State Prison near Glennville. His death is being investigated by the GBI.

Charles Simpson Jr.’s funeral is set for Tuesday afternoon at Emmanuel Spiritual Holy Temple in southeast Atlanta.

WHIPPOORWILL, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say a woman killed her boyfriend on the Navajo Nation after he told her to shoot him.

Carmelita Williams faces a second-degree murder charge.

She told authorities that her boyfriend had physically and verbally assaulted her last week in Whippoorwill. According to court documents, the boyfriend blocked the door of a hogan, gave Williams a pistol and told her she couldn't leave unless she shot him.

Williams says her boyfriend pointed the pistol at himself while she held it in her left hand. She then fired a round into his chest, holding her son in the other arm.

Williams told authorities she tried to call 911 but did not have cellphone service, and her relatives' phones didn't work either.

Her attorney did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.

A former Monument man is suspected in the stabbing death of two young children in Falcon.

Ethan Courrau, 22, allegedly stabbed his girlfriend's children and is believed to have then turned the weapon on himself.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office a call came in at 11:12 p.m. on Feb. 13 of a reported stabbing. When deputies arrived at a mobile home located on the property of the Remington Ranch Equestrian Stables in Falcon they found 19-month-old Scarlett Gallagher dead and her three-year-old brother Ryan Willhite with serious injuries. Willhite was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. The young boy would have been four-years-old on Feb. 26.

Deputies also found Courrau with injuries and transported him to the hospital where he too died.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office public information officer Lt. Jeff Kramer said all indications lead to Courrau's injuries being self-inflicted but they are still waiting on the autopsy results to confirm that.

Kramer said Courrau was the boyfriend of the victim's mother Katie Cane but was uncertain if Courrau lived at the mobile home. He did say that the 9-1-1 call was made by the grandmother of the victims. It is believed that Cane was not at home at the time of the stabbing and when she arrived home she found her children and Courrau.

Courrau is the son of Beth Courrau, a member of the board of directors for Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District and the former president of the North El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations.

In a statement to another media outlet the Courrau family said, “We are heartbroken for all of the families impacted by the tragic news that has unfolded.”

The statement goes on to say, “It is impossible to wrap our minds around this. There are so many unanswered questions of which we may never know the answers. We loved our son deeply. Ethan struggled with being bipolar 1, and as his parents we actively helped him seek medical treatment.”

The sheriff's office is still conducting their investigation. An account has been set up at Ent Federal Credit Union to help the family of the young victims. It is under “Memorial Account for Scarlett and Ryan.”

RESTON, Va. (CBSDC) – The husband of a pregnant woman who died in a Reston fire Monday morning has been found dead in Texas, police said.

The man was found dead Tuesday in Bandera County, Texas, just northwest of San Antonio, according to Fairfax County police. His death is being investigated as a suicide.

Police have identified the woman who died in the early morning apartment fire as Jennifer Lynne Pearson, 38, who was pregnant when she succumbed to her injuries from the fire. Her death was being investigated as a homicide, but police said after learning of her husband’s death they are not searching for any suspects in the homicide case.

Fairfax County fire personnel responded to a call at about 6:10 a.m. Monday for a fire in the 12000 block of Waterside View Drive in Reston, where they found a fire burning in one apartment of the three-story apartment complex.

Firefighters put the fire out and pulled an unconscious adult woman from the building. Authorities said she was badly burned and later succumbed to her injuries. No other injuries were reported.

A neighbor who lives in the apartment above the one that caught fire told WNEW’s Kevin Patrick that she heard fighting in the apartment below her the night before and woke up to the smell of smoke.