Marine killed in Texas shootings suspected in his wife’s slaying

North Carolina police are investigating whether a Marine who was killed after going on a shooting rampage in Texas is also connected to the fatal stabbing of his wife, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Lance Cpl. Esteban J. Smith, 23, who died Sunday in a gunfight with Texas authorities, is considered a suspect in the killing of his wife.

Rubi Estefania Smith, 21, of Bakersfield, Calif., was found dead Sunday afternoon in a motel room near Camp Lejeune, N.C., said Beth Percell, spokeswoman for the Jacksonville, N.C., police department.

The woman died of “trauma consistent with a knife wound,” Percell said.

Officials said the case is being investigated. “Because there are multiple agencies and crime scenes associated with the case, it will take several weeks for the all of the physical evidence to be processed” Chief Mike Yaniero, director of public safety said in a posting on the police agency’s Facebook page.

Esteban Smith is suspected in a West Texas shooting rampage that left one woman dead and five others, including Concho County Sheriff Richard Doane, wounded, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

According to a Texas spokesman, Smith opened fire on a motorist early Sunday. A 41-year-old woman was killed during the rampage that ended when two officers shot Smith.

It was unclear why Smith was in Texas, Percell said.

After the shooting, police recovered an assault rifle, a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Smith’s car, according to Texas officials.

Smith served two combat tours in Afghanistan, returning most recently in November 2012, Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Maureen Krebs told the Associated Press.

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