Woman Kills Man, Herself at Gorman Motel

Paralleling the murder-suicide of comedian Phil Hartman and his wife, a 30-year-old woman shot her companion as he slept in the motel room they shared Friday night before turning the gun on herself, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

Authorities said the bodies were found by employees of the Best Rest Inn in the Flying J Travel Plaza truck stop after the couple failed to check out as scheduled at noon Saturday.

A motel employee said the couple had checked into the motel at 42810 Frazier Mountain Road on Friday morning.

Deputies did not immediately release the names of the woman and the 35-year-old man, nor would they say whether the pair were married. The motel employee said the woman was from Southern California. A coroner’s official said the man was from Utah.

Apparently, no one at the motel heard any shots, deputies and motel staff members said.

“They were due to check out, and when we didn’t hear from the guests we called--they didn’t answer, so we sent the housekeeper,” said the employee, who asked not to be identified.

The housekeeper became suspicious when the forms on the bed did not stir after she noisily unlocked the door, the employee said. Hotel staff members called 911 about 12:55 p.m., deputies said.

The incident bears a striking resemblance to the Hartman deaths at the couple’s posh Encino home earlier this week. Los Angeles police detectives believe Brynn Hartman shot her husband as he slept in their bed and then shot herself.

Staff members at the motel said they were shocked by the bloodshed and its similarity to the Hartman case. “This is a nice hotel,” an employee said. “People come up here to play in the snow. Nothing like this has ever happened.”