Dad RAPHAEL JOHNSON mowed down his wife, then thoughtfully left her body to be found by their college-aged daughter once she returned home. How SWEET. When the authorities finally located Daddy, he felt obliged to pull the big police standoff thing. Just to squeeze a little the extra drama value out of the whole thing, you know. But then he offed himself and it was over.
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062210/new_news2.shtml
Web-posted Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Shotgun used in murder-suicide
By Joe Gamm
joe.gamm@amarillo.com
A 54-year-old Shamrock man used a shotgun to fatally shoot his wife, before using a pistol to kill himself Saturday, authorities said Monday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Raphael Johnson shot his wife, 48-year-old Martha Johnson, with a shotgun before fleeing their home, which is on a 640-acre farm about three miles northeast of Shamrock. Authorities said he shot Johnson about 3:45 p.m. Saturday.
Johnson went to another part of the property, about a half-mile away, and shot himself with a pistol, the DPS said.
Autopsies are scheduled to be conducted today.
Neighbor Alfred Larsen said Sunday that the couple's college-age daughter had taken visiting relatives to Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport and found her mother's body inside the home when she returned. She called police and went to her boyfriend's home, Larsen said.
When police arrived, they found Raphael Johnson, known as Ray, outside with a gun, a family friend said.
Police thought Johnson re-entered the home and barricaded himself inside, said the friend, who asked that he not be identified. The Wheeler County Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Amarillo SWAT team, Texas Rangers and troopers with the Department of Public Safety, authorities said.
The SWAT team eventually sent a robot into the home to locate Johnson, but he was not found. His body was located about a half-mile away in a deer blind, DPS said.
Texas Rangers and the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office are continuing the investigation.