N.Y. Couple Was Found Dead in Home 2 Weeks Ago, and Police Now Say It Was Murder-Suicide
A man and a woman in Baldwinsville, New York, were found shot to death inside an apartment on October 6 — and authorities have now declared it a murder-suicide.
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office conducted a two-week long investigation after the bodies were discovered. Authorities later determined that Richard Murphy, 68, shot Heather Laca, 31, before turning the gun on himself.
John Seeber, the sheriff's office spokesman, told Syracuse.com that the couple was found dead at the apartment that they shared. He referred to the incident as a "domestic violence-related homicide."
The bodies were discovered on October 6 after a neighbor called 911 to report seeing two people who appeared to be dead lying on the floor.
When deputies and officers entered the apartment, they found the bodies of Murphy and Laca.
At the time, authorities told the public that they did not have to worry about their own safety.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
"We're not looking for anybody," Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway said at the time, according to Spectrum News. "Their safety is not at risk. We feel whatever happened, happened within that residence and unfortunately we have two persons who are deceased."
The couple had been together for a few years. In May 2019, they posted on Facebook that they had gotten married, but Syracuse.com was subsequently unable to find a marriage license for the couple.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
