Police investigating murder

Police investigating murder-suicide

By TODD KLEFFMAN
Staff Writer

Boyle County deputies Marty Elliott and Brian Wofford leave the Fugates' home. (Todd Kleffman Photo)

Police and neighbors can only guess why an elderly Boyle County woman shot her husband before turning the rifle on herself inside the couple's home off Wells Landing Road.

Boyle deputies found the bodies of Dan and Shirley Fugate Thursday afternoon after neighbors grew concerned about the couple and called 911. Dan Fugate, 72, was dead in the basement, shot once in the back of the head.

Shirley Fugate, 64, was found across a bed upstairs with a rifle between her legs. She had put the gun to her chin and pulled the trigger, police said.

"A lot of times in a situation like this, it is precipitated by a history of domestic violence, mental illness or poor health, but, right now, we don't know what might have precipitated this violent action," said Kentucky State Trooper Chris Lanham. "We don't believe he was a willing victim. We are conducting a homicide investigation."

There was no sign of forced entry into the home or of a struggle, police said. No note was found. The couple was believed to have been dead for at least 24 hours before they were discovered.

"There is nothing that would give an indication that this was anything other than a murder-suicide," Lanham said.

Deputy Boyle County Coroner King Pruitt pronounced the Fugates dead at the scene. Each had been shot one time with a 22-caliber rifle, said Pruitt, who transported the bodies to the state Medical Examiners Office in Frankfort for autopsies to be conducted today.

"I don't think there'll be any surprises in the autopsies," Pruitt said.

Neighbors noticed dogs outside

Next-door neighbors Forest and Gladys Parker, 397 Wells Landing Road, had not seen the Fugates for a while and noticed their two house dogs, which usually are only outside for a few minutes at a time, had been left out all day on Wednesday.

Gladys Parker called her son-in-law, Billy Devine, on Thursday morning and they went over to investigate about noon.

"I went to the back door and looked in and there she lay on the bed with the gun between her legs," Devine said. "We came back and called police."

Forest Parker said the last time he saw either of the Fugates was on Monday, when Shirley Fugate called his wife and told her to come over and get some potatoes she had just picked up from the commodities program.

The Fugates were good neighbors who had lived next door for seven years, Parker said, but he admitted he did not know either of them very well.

Parker said he was aware that both Fugates had health concerns.

"She was a bad diabetic. Took about 15 or 20 pills a day," he said.

Devine said Dan Fugate had recently told him that he had received chemotherapy for cancer but the illness was believed to be in remission.

"I don't think that either one of them had bad enough health to kill theirselves over. Something else must have gone wrong," Parker said.

"I would have never thought that either one of them would have done anything like that."

Son will be interviewed

Lanham said Thursday that authorities were aware that the Fugates had one son, David Fugate, who is currently in prison in Hopkinsville for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Investigators planned to interview David Fugate to see if he had been given "any indication she was contemplating something like this," he said.

The Fugates owned two Dachshunds and a caged bird that were taken from the scene by Boyle County Animal Control Officer Debbie McGowan, who said she would try to find new homes for the animals.