Neighbors 'in shock' after Magnolia murder-suicide. Here's what we know
The gunshots rang out a little before 6:20 p.m. Monday.
Within minutes, a handful of Delaware State Police troopers had pulled up outside a two-story, gray-and-white home in the Barrett Farm development in Magnolia. A 38-year-old woman who had been shot multiple times was out front.
Her injuries, first responder radio communications said, "were incompatible with life." About 30 minutes later, she was officially pronounced dead.
Inside the home, troopers found a grisly scene: A 43-year-old man dead from gunshot wounds and a 49-year-old also dead. Three children, all uninjured, were also inside.
Troopers would later learn that the 49-year-old man had "contacted a family member, confessed to shooting his wife and her new boyfriend, and expressed an intent to kill himself," a Tuesday morning news release said. It's not clear if the man was still alive when police arrived at the home.
In a usually quiet community, neighbors quickly began wondering: What had happened?
Here's what we know.
Neighbors 'in shock,' share details via FaceTime
Neighbors who live in the development said they were "in shock" following the shooting.
One man who asked not to be identified as he lives close to the home where the murder-suicide occurred said he wasn't home at the time, but his family was. They shared scenes of what was occurring via FaceTime.
He told Delaware Online/The News Journal that soon after his family heard gunshots, the police arrived. There were troopers "all over," he said, adding that "everything was blocked off and then you could see a helicopter."
The helicopter, according to radio communications, was told to land at David E. Robinson Elementary School, located less than a mile away.
The man, who has lived in the development for about five years, said the neighborhood is quiet. While he didn't know the family well, he'd see the kids playing outside.
"I would wave and say, 'Hi,'" he said.
Another neighbor who's lived in Barrett Farm for about two years said he had just gone inside after mowing the grass. A few minutes later, he looked out his back window and saw a police car in the cul-de-sac near the side of the home where the shooting happened.
He said there were five or six police vehicles on the scene quickly. Troopers "all had rifles pointing at the house and there was a body lying in the middle of the street."
A large pickup truck drove through grass to get close to home, he said, and troopers carried the woman to the truck. They attempted to render first aid, he said.
Soon, more police − including those who looked like members of a SWAT team − arrived with armored trucks, the neighbor said. They surrounded the home and announced "eight or nine times" for anyone in the house to come out with their hands up.
No one came, the man said, and police entered the house.
A few hours later, he saw troopers carry out two body bags.
INITIAL STORY: 3 dead, including suspect, in murder-suicide in Magnolia Monday night
Development, house quiet Tuesday morning
The development was quiet Tuesday morning, with no sign that anything out of the ordinary had occurred the evening before.
A landscaping crew could be seen on the street. While they didn't know details of what had happened, they heard that there had been an incident.
The crew said they'd noticed that the back sliding door of the house where the shooting occurred was broken, but didn't think much of it until a neighbor confirmed the shooting had happened at that location.
A sheet of plastic hung up over the door could be seen rippling in the breeze Tuesday morning.
Who are the victims?
Delaware State Police haven't yet identified those killed, though property records show a 38-year-old woman bought the four-bedroom home in October 2022. It was purchased for $450,000.
The neighbor who was mowing his grass before the shooting occurred said he had "no idea they were having any problems.”
He did not know the family well, but said he would briefly chat with them when he saw them outside.
The kids, he said, played basketball in the driveway. A standalone hoop could be seen near the garage.
He said neighborhood children ride bikes and skate down the street "all the time."
This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Neighbors 'in shock' after Magnolia murder-suicide. What we know
