Murder-Suicide Stemmed From Fight Over Oranges Vs. Toast

Murder-Suicide Stemmed From Fight Over Oranges Vs. Toast



LOGAN, Ohio --

A man shoots his sisters-in-law and son after an argument over whether they should feed his wife toast or an orange, officials say.

Deputies from the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in the area of state Route 664 North at Logan Horns Mill Road in Logan on a report of a shooting at about 5 p.m. Monday.

Officers had been waiting outside for hours since being called about a possible hostage situation at the house on a hillside amid an area of rolling wooded hills dotted with farmland.

Upon arrival, deputies found Paul David Gilkey dead on the front porch from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The bodies of two women and a man were found on the living room floor, Hocking County Sheriff Lanny North said.

According to the Hocking County Sheriff, the apparent murder-suicide began because Paul was upset that relatives had given his wife tea and toast after he had already peeled an orange for her.

"They had given Darlene a meal, toast and I believe a banana, toast and tea prior and when [Paul] already had an orange peeled for her and that seemed to be the issue that spurred [Paul] to his rampage," North said.

The victims were identified as 63-year-old Dorothy Cherry, of New Plymouth, 70-year-old Barbara Mohler, of New Straitsville, and 36-year-old Leroy Gilkey, of Columbus.

Cherry and Mohler were sisters of Paul Gilkey’s wife, 59-year-old Darlene. Leroy Gilkey was the son of Darlene and Paul.

In addition to his wife, who is bed ridden, Paul Gilkey's stepson, 36-year-old Ralph Sowers III, was in the home at the time of the shooting. The two were spared, officials said.

The sheriff's office said that they believe Darlene had been seriously ill for some time and that her husband, sons and sisters had been caring for her.

During the argument, the sheriff's office said, Paul left the living room, went to his bedroom and returned with a handgun, threatening everyone.

Investigators said Paul shot Mohler and then ordered Sowers to leave. He then shot Leroy and again told Sowers to leave before shooting Cherry, officials said.

According to a release, Sowers escaped the home, drove from the house to get cell phone reception and called 911.

Officials said Paul then walked out the front door, sat down in a chair and shot himself.

The weapon was recovered at the scene.

The coroner reported that Mohler died of two close-range gunshot wounds to the head. Leroy died of three close-range gunshot wounds to the head with a possible fourth penetrating injury to the right hand.

Cherry died of one indeterminate range gunshot wound to the chest with a second close-range gunshot wound to the head.

Paul died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Leroy Gilkey, was a teacher at Westerville North High School, according to the district.

Leroy Gilkey was "a very well loved and well respected teacher among students, among his colleagues and among the families that send their children to Westerville North (High School)," said Greg Viebranz, a spokesman for the school district.

"Needless to say it's certainly a sad day for our staff and our students and family here at Westerville North. The coming days will be difficult as we work through the loss of Leroy Gilkey," Westerville North High School Principal Kurt Yancey said.

Paul Gilkey's cousin, Matthew Henderson said his own wife happened to call the home immediately after the shooting and spoke with Paul's wife, who said that her 63-year-old husband "shot everybody" and then went outside.

"I said, 'What's he doing?' (She said) 'I think he's waiting on more people to come so he could kill them,'" Henderson recounted.

Henderson said his cousin had recently bought two or three plots at a cemetery, though it didn't seem unusual for a man whose wife had terminal cancer. He described his relative as unpredictable and unstable and said that he might have taken some pills and been drinking before the shooting.

"I thought what would happen is that he would wait until she passed away and then he would shoot himself," he said. "I didn't think he would shoot other people, I thought he would take his own life."

Henderson said Paul visited him last week at his home in Logan.

"He just kept saying they're pushing buttons and I was like, 'What do you mean?' And he goes, 'I can't spend no time with my wife alone.' He kinda looked over and smiled at me and he goes, 'They don't know who they're [expletive] with, do they?'" Henderson said.

Deputies said Paul Gilkey previously served 10 years in Athens County for beating a man to death with a fence post. He was paroled in 1984 and had an arrest in 1986 for felonious assault and a parole violation in Fairfield County.

The sheriff's office said Paul, Darlene and Sowers lived at the home.


http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/jan/09/40/report-hocking-co-hostage-situation-ends-4-dead-ar-890708/