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June 17, 2009

Police say man killed wife, then himself

The small community of Larue was struck by an apparent murder- suicide late Monday afternoon — the second such incident in the span of about three weeks.

At approximately 4:38 p.m., the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a shooting at 11276 Loop 60 in LaRue. Upon arrival, deputies found the body of Kristi Morris, who they believe had been shot by her estranged husband, Matthew Morris. After a search for Mr. Morris, deputies found him dead in an empty residence next door to 11276 Loop 60.

Investigators determined that Mr. Morris had shot his wife, then ran next door and shot himself.

“Kristi was staying in a safe house somewhere around Jacksonville or Palestine,” Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said. “She had taken the kids to the doctor in Athens and had dropped them off with a relative. That’s where Matthew found her.”

Justice of the Peace Sue Tarrant ordered an autopsy on Mr. Morris and he was transported to Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas by Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home.

Mrs. Morris was transported to East Texas Medical Center-Tyler where she was pronounced dead at 5:48 a.m. on Tuesday. Smith County Justice of the Peace Judge Shamburger pronounced her dead.

Nutt said he believes authorities in Anderson County had been trying to serve Mr. Morris with warrant papers.

“I know they had not been able to track him down,” Nutt said. “We had some burglary warrants on him also. He had been in some trouble.”

Henderson County Investigator Ceresa Ballard and Texas Ranger Trace McDonald are investigating the incident, along with other investigators in the Criminal Investigations Division.

“I think it is a pretty much open and shut case, but we have to do the autopsy’s and check on the guns for the investigations,” Nutt said.

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