SHADY COVE, Ore.– A double homicide has shaken residents in a small Shady Cove neighborhood. A mother and her daughter gunned down over the Easter holiday and now one man is in custody accused of pulling the trigger.
“I was kind of shocked cause I moved down here because it was quiet and then this happened,” said Scott Kreuter, a neighbor.
Fifty-nine-year-old Kit Warren Wilkins is the prime suspect in the deaths of Shirley and Judy Gann. Investigators say the three knew one another but a motive for the killings is still unclear.
Investigators say a 911 call came in from a home on the 500 block of Sarma Drive on Sunday morning around 10 a.m. When deputies got there, they found the bodies of 62-year-old Shirley Gann and her daughter 43-year-old Judy Gann. Both had apparent gunshot wounds.
An autopsy is scheduled for both bodies this week to determine official cause and manner of death.
Investigators say Shirley and Kitt had a long-term relationship and lived at the home together. Judy was just visiting.
Neighbors NBC5 News spoke with said they didn’t know them well, but say what they did see of Wilkins was strange.
“He was the first one I met when we moved in,” said Kreuter. “He seemed ok and then I started talking to him and he was out there. Conspiracy theories and stuff I’m not even familiar with.”
There are still many questions as to why Wilkins may have murdered his girlfriend and her daughter. For now, this quiet neighborhood is left to speculate.
Wilkins is charged with two counts of aggravated murder. He’s being held at the Jackson County Jail without bail. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.
Detectives would like to speak with anyone who had contact with the victims or Wilkins on Saturday, April 20, as well as anyone who has information that may be relevant to the case.
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