Posted on 06/20/2002 2:53:01 PM PDT by Barbie Doll
5 Shot, 3 Dead In Whidbey Murder-Suicide
June 20, 2002
By KOMO Staff & News Services
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ISLAND COUNTY - A 27-year-old man shot his fiancee and her mother to death and wounded two other people before turning the gun on himself Thursday, a day after the fiancee reported that she suspected him of molesting her young daughter, the Island County sheriff said.
Deputies responding to a report of gunfire found the bodies of Marjorie Monnett, 55, of Freeland and her daughter, Holly Swartz, 30, of Clinton in the street in front of Monnett's home. Swartz's fiance, Preston Dean "Hugh" Douglas, 27, of Clinton was found dead on top of her, Sheriff Michael A. Hawley said.
Monnett's son, Bruce Monnett, 22, and his girlfriend, Sienna Klug, 18 or 19, were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with gunshot wounds. They were in serious condition and undergoing surgery Thursday.
About 18 shotgun shells littered the road in the small subdivision on the southern end of Whidbey Island, about 28 miles north of Seattle.
Hawley gave this account:
Douglas parked his rusty, light blue van about 50 yards from the home at about 1:30 a.m. He walked to the garage, where he shot Bruce Monnett and Klug. Klug dropped instantly; Monnett, soaked with blood, ran to a neighbor's house.
Douglas then entered the home. Neighbors who watched through the windows reported seeing him going from room to room, apparently looking for Swartz.
Mrs. Monnett and Swartz's 6-year-old daughter made a dash for a car parked out front, but didn't make it. Monnett was shot dead; the girl ran to a neighbor's home, unharmed.
Swartz, meanwhile, was at a house two doors down, Hawley said. She came running when she heard the shots and was killed, not far from where her mother's body lay in the street.
Douglas approached her body and shot himself.
The day before, Swartz called the sheriff's office to say she thought Douglas had molested her daughter two weeks ago, Hawley said. An investigator suggested she move out of the residence she shared with him in Clinton, and she did - moving in with her mother Wednesday night.
Hawley said deputies were following standard procedure in checking out the abuse allegation and didn't know what might have been done differently.
"We're going to be Monday-morning-quarterbacking this thing probably for the rest of our lives," he said.
There was no previous history of abuse in the home, and no one involved had a criminal history, he said.
Swartz had recently taken a job at the Good Cheer thrift shop. Douglas, an unemployed landscaper who lived with her, had been baby-sitting for the girl.
The girl was taken into the custody of Child Protective Services, and deputies planned to speak with her Thursday, but she was expected to be placed with extended family members soon, Hawley said.
Douglas' van was impounded and processed for evidence.
A forensics team from the Washington State Patrol crime lab was assisting the investigation.
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