Man Kills Fiancee, Her Mother, Himself
A Seattle area man fatally shot his fiancee and her mother, wounded two other people and then killed himself over the body of his wife-to-be, a day after she told authorities she suspected him of molesting her 7-year-old daughter.
Authorities found the bodies of Marjorie Monnett, 55, and her daughter, Holly Swartz, 30, in the street in front of Monnett’s home on the southern end of Whidbey Island, about 28 miles north of Seattle. Swartz’s fiance, Preston Dean “Hugh” Douglas, 27, was dead on top of her.
Monnett’s 22-year-old son was hospitalized in satisfactory condition after surgery, and his girlfriend was in serious condition.
Sheriff Michael A. Hawley said Douglas, an unemployed landscaper, pulled up outside the home about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, walked in the back door and opened fire, then continued firing outdoors. Swartz’s 7-year-old daughter ran from her grandmother’s home during the rampage and was not hurt.
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