Monday, March 26, 2012

Monroe, NC: Monroe police investigate possible murder-suicide

Monroe police said they still have many questions about an apparent murder-suicide in which a 70-year-old man left notes saying he’d shot his wife before later turning the gun on himself.
Police said the bodies of Charles and Martha Frech were found late Friday in the couple’s home on Rosa Drive in Monroe. Martha Frech, 65, was apparently shot as she slept in a bedroom, police said.
Investigators found three notes written by Charles Frech in which he stated he’d killed “the love of his life.” It also outlined possible reasons for the shooting, but police are not yet releasing a motive.
Frech later turned the gun on himself, police said.
Police are still trying to learn more about the shooting, including when exactly the couple died and details about possible medical issues Martha Frech was facing, said Sgt. Mike Smith.
He said a friend of Martha Frech visited the home and said Charles Frech was acting “out of character” and would not let her see his wife. The friend reported the incident to a neighbor, who notified police.
The killings shocked Martha Frechs family, including Sally David, Martha’s first cousin from Portland, Ore.
“Those two idolized and loved each other beyond any two people I’ve ever known,” David said. “They were the loves of each other’s life. We are all just kind of numb.”
David said Martha moved to Monroe about 11 years ago with her mother. She and Charles Frech had known each other earlier in life -- “in the 1970s” -- and once dated. They reconnected about eight years ago, she said. and fell in love.
David and her sisters visited with Martha last August in Oregon. “She was the happiest I’d ever seen her. We’d corresponded by e-mail and Facebook and I can’t remember a time when she was happier.” News Researcher Maria David contributed
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