Investigators trying to ‘make sense’ of triple tragedy

By Crystal Burns

Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said Monday morning that investigators are trying to make sense of a triple tragedy that occurred Friday night in the Spring Hill community outside of Trenton.

A couple in their 70s was shot and killed in their home on Henry Dickey Road, and the suspect later shot and killed himself at a home in Kenton. Thomas has confirmed that the 26-year-old man authorities believe is responsible for the double murders was the couple’s grandson.

Thomas is still withholding the names of the individuals involved as the investigation continues, he said.

“My investigators are talking to some family members over the next few days to try to make some sense of this,” Thomas said.

In a press release the sheriff issued Saturday, Thomas said that deputies responded to a 911 call at 44 Henry Dickey Road in Trenton on Friday, Oct. 30 at around 7 p.m. Deputies located two victims inside the house – a 76-year-old male and a 75-year-old female. Further investigation revealed the married couple was deceased from apparent gunshot wounds, Thomas said. There was no sign of forced entry or that the victims had been robbed. The suspected murder weapon was located in the victims’ home, Thomas said.

Detectives developed a family member of the couple’s as a person of interest. Thomas said deputies later approached a home at 134 Rutherford Highway in Kenton, where they believed the suspect could be located. While approaching the home, deputies heard a single gunshot from inside the home. They forced entry into the house and located a 26-year-old male dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Thomas said.

Thomas said there was evidence located with the 26-year-old and in his vehicle that linked him to the original scene at Henry Dickey Road.

The bodies were sent for autopsies with results pending. Thomas said Monday morning that preliminary autopsy reports usually come back within a couple of weeks, and full reports take a few months.

“This is a very unfortunate and tragic event,” he said. “A family has lost three family members, and the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office asks that you not only lift this family up in prayers but be respectful of the family during this time.”

Thomas thanked the TBI and District Attorney General Frederick Agee and Assistant District Attorney General Jason Scott for their assistance in the investigation.

“This was a collaborative effort to achieve closure to this matter for the family involved,” he said.

This story and headline has been updated.