Man, 79, shot his wife, 76, as she slept before turning gun on himself

Pensioner, 79, shot his retired teacher wife, 76, in the back of the head as she lay asleep before turning the gun on himself, inquest hears

  • Edward Morris, 79, killed his wife Wendy, 76, at home in Thornford, Dorset
  • For help and support phone the Samaritans from a UK phone for free on 116 123 

A pensioner shot his wife dead as she lay asleep in bed then turned the gun on himself in their rural village home, an inquest has heard.

Former butcher Edward Morris, 79, killed his wife of 55 years Wendy Morris, 76, in the master bedroom of their detached three bedroom home in Thornford, near Sherborne, Dorset.

A minute later, he called the police to tell them that his wife, who was a retired teacher, had had ‘another heart attack’ and they needed to come straight away.

Police alerted the ambulance service and a paramedic arrived at the address where the front door was slightly ajar.

He entered and saw Mr Morris, who had a valid shotgun licence, lying dead on the floor in the hallway with the double barrel shotgun next to him.

Former butcher Edward Morris, 79, killed his wife of 55 years Wendy Morris, 76, in the master bedroom of their detached three bedroom home in Thornford, near Sherborne, Dorset

They were described by residents in Gifle View, a quiet cul-de-sac, as ‘friendly’ and ‘helpful’ neighbours

The paramedic went upstairs and found Mrs Morris’s curled-up body under a duvet in bed.

The inquest, at Bournemouth Town Hall, heard that Mr Morris stopped working as a butcher in the late 90s and the couple retired and moved down to Dorset.

They were described by residents in Gifle View, a quiet cul-de-sac, as ‘friendly’ and ‘helpful’ neighbours.

Five days before the incident, Mrs Morris was rushed into hospital after suffering a heart attack.

She was discharged on the night of June 26 but Mr Morris had confided in a phone call to his brother Robert Morris that he was ‘very worried’ about her ‘deteriorating’ health.

On June 27, Mr Morris ran errands for his wife including to the local GP, who said he was in a ‘jovial’ mood.

Their bodies were discovered at 6.38am on the morning of June 28, 2022.

Dorset Police Detective Sergeant David Colomb, who investigated the deaths, said single gunshots could be heard on the property’s CCTV at 6.02am and 6.07am that morning, with no sign of anyone else entering the premises.

There was no evidence of a suicide pact or any clues on Mr Morris’s electronic devices to his motives.

Before the coroner considered his conclusion, the family raised the possibility that there had been an unwritten pact between the couple.

Mr Morris’s nephew Jonathan Morris said: ‘I have got no evidence to support this but in my opinion I would suggest maybe they had spoken about being unable to live without one another.’

Both post mortem examinations, performed by home office pathologist Dr Basil Purdue, revealed the cause of death as single gunshot wounds to the head.

Dorset Area Coroner Brendan Allen recorded a verdict that Mr Morris committed suicide.

He recorded a narrative conclusion for Mrs Morris saying, on the balance of probabilities, he could not say she was ‘unlawfully killed’.

He said: ‘We don’t know if there was a conversation between them prior to 6am. Only Mr and Mrs Morris know the precise circumstances of what happened.

‘I don’t feel on the balance of probabilities there is enough evidence to determine a conclusion of unlawful killing.

‘Mrs Morris died as a consequence of a single gunshot wound to the head inflicted by another where precise circumstances leading up to the death are not explained by the evidence.’

For help and support phone the Samaritans from a UK phone for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. 

Source: Read Full Article

Previous post Haven has 2024 UK holidays from £4pp a night & you can book with a £30 deposit | The Sun
Next post This is why some fabrics trap in the sweat smell