Dallas-area mayor, teen daughter are shot dead

[Tab]

Source: Associated Press

COPPELL, Texas – The mayor of an upscale suburb of Dallas and her teenage daughter were found shot to death at their home, city officials said Wednesday.

Police discovered the bodies of Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters, 55, and Corrine Peters, 19, around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, city spokeswoman Sharon Logan said. Police found no signs of forced entry, Logan said.

"It appears that both suffered gunshot wounds to the head," said Logan.

Police officers went to their home after the usually prompt mayor failed to arrive at a city council meeting and did not call to explain her absence, Logan said.

The circumstances of the shootings remained unclear. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office said the autopsies have not been completed.

"Because we do not have all the facts and the investigation is not complete, we cannot release any additional information," said Deputy Police Chief Steve Thomas.

Jayne Peters, a contract software developer, had served as mayor of Coppell, a city of about 40,000, located 15 miles northwest of Dallas, for the past year. She had been a council member since 1998.

"This is a tremendous loss for the city, the community and the region," said City Manager Clay Phillips.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_mayor_daughter_dead

[GodlessBiker]

1. A family member? It's often the case.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Ex-boyfriend. Either the Mayor's or her daughter's......sad guess

[ixion]

27. doubtful. Doesn't sound like a crime of passion. It sounds like a professional execution

in my opinion. The daughter just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My bet is that it was politically motivated.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

39. .

reporting <-----------------------------------------------------------> conclusion

That's quite a leap.

Why would someone politically assassinate the head of an over-glorified HOA?

[ixion]

46. Okay, well, in the first place

1) I'm not drawing any conclusions, I am speculating, and I am allowed to do that, thanks.

2) Based on the evidence released to the press -- two dead bodies with gunshots to the head -- my first inclination is not that this was a Crime of Passion. To be blunt: Crimes of Passion are messy and unorganized, and the body of the intended victim of the attack would normally receive the lion's share of the wounds. It doesn't sound like this was the case, but yeah, I'm not there, and this is my opinion.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

47. No one said you couldn't have an opinion I merely noted your opinion

involved an incredible leap.

A single gunshot to the head indeed sounds like an execution but that in and of itself says nothing to the motive only the method. A home invader can just as easily methodically execute someone after gaining access to a home under false pretenses. I would imagine a crime of passion, although habitually messy in nature, is not exclusively messy in nature.

In other words, we don't know yet but claiming political assassination seems premature considering the station of the victim.

[ixion]

52. fair enough

:hi:

[Nuclear Unicorn]

55. Oh yeah! Well

:hi: back atcha!

:fistbump:

:pals:

[BrightKnight]

76. .

wrong place

[yella_dawg]

74. No doubt it was a man.

However, local news is reporting numerous, extremely detailed, typed suicide notes. Even instructions of feeding the dog. Worthless bastard probably tormented her for hours getting her to write pages of computer printed instructions.

[Tab]

4. I didn't post this part of the article

but her husband had passed away previously. No mention of any sons. She lived with her mother.

[backtomn]

36. Unfortunately.......that is typical.

I don't know if I can say that I hope you are wrong.....since it won't matter much, but you are correct in your assertion. That part of life really sucks.

[unhappycamper]

2. Yea, but the good ole boys get to carry.

[proteus_lives]

6. So you don't a have point?

I must that must be the case considering your statement.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Have fun stuffing that straw man?

[timo]

9. actually

people who hold legal carry permits are not regularly involved in crimes...but you cant admit that can you..even tho the statistics show it.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[X_Digger]

13. How about the Texas Department of Public Safety.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/convrates.htm

Florida also tracks permit suspensions, revocations, and convictions.

http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/stats/cw_monthly.html

[pattmarty]

21. Thx. At least you provided some links and statistical shit. I would...........

.............like to see stats other than the state statistics though. I own handguns myself and the state I live in has a concealed carry law, but I choose not to do that. I really don't want to go back to the "Dodge City" days which this CC shit could lead to. Why carry in a church? Even where I live in Ar the local hospital has a sign saying no handguns in the hospital. Where do you draw the line? AND, where is the line on WHO can get a permit? That's the shit that scares me in the "gun debate".

[X_Digger]

23. Unfortunately, no national stats exist.

But since Florida has had concealed carry since 1987 (the only state earlier is Washington since 1963), and Texas for 15 years, they'd seem (to me at least) to be pretty representative of CHL holders.

The VPC likes to cull stories from the media in an attempt to scare people about CHL, but what they don't realize is that out of an estimated 6M permit holders, the tragic and criminal, but relatively small instance of crime committed by these people actually hurts their own case (ie, VPC identifies a population of CHL holders that have killed someone, but that rate is actually better than the general public.) The VPC report also lists things like CHL holders committing crimes without guns, or with guns in circumstances that do not require permits (like at home), or their kids accidentally shooting themselves, or misinterpret a 'permit to own' with a CHL, so it's at best disingenuous, at worst trollish. http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm

"Dodge City" and other "Old / Wild West" is a bit of a myth promulgated by penny dreadful novels. At the time of the "Old / Wild West", you were more likely to be killed in NYC than Bumrump, Oklahoma.

Why carry in a church? Even where I live in Ar the local hospital has a sign saying no handguns in the hospital. Where do you draw the line? AND, where is the line on WHO can get a permit? That's the shit that scares me in the "gun debate".

Me personally? I draw the line at courthouses, the secured portions of airports, mental facilities, or correctional facilities. Those places screen people for dangerous weapons, and / or have a high level of security in place to protect the public.

Why churches? Not sure if you are aware, but there have been quite a few high profile shootings in churches, at least one of which have been cut short by a person with a permit (New Life Church shooting in 2007). I'm an agnostic / atheist myself, but I don't begrudge them wishing to be able to protect themselves.

Regarding the who, I don't have a problem with anyone over 21, with a clean record, not having been adjudicated mentally unfit, not a substance abuser, from having a permit.

eta: VPC, not Brady

[timo]

57. wow

so articulate....was the tx dps stats good for you? I carry and I got the lic so I could carry in my truck, not so much in my church...assmunch!!!!

[Walk away]

18. If they were then even the deadly weapon worshipers at the NRA couldn't....

buy enough Pols to support their gun agenda. Protesting that "carriers" aren't "regularly" involved in violent crime is just a silly statement.

[Schema Thing]

5. whoa. 5 minutes from here.

[rury]

20. I live in Coppell

I guess I'll hear the whole story soon enough.

[proteus_lives]

8. 3 things pop to mind.

1. Someone's relationship went south.

2. Politics/business thing.

3. Home invasion gone bad.

[Taverner]

10. My money's on #1

[BrightKnight]

22. I'm betting 1, Nobody is that passionate about politics

in Coppell. The city is managed very professionally from what I have seen. It is difficult to believe that City business could have had anything to do with it.

[Iggo]

17. ...or 3a. Home Invasion Gone Perfect

That's just how some people do crimes. It sucks.

[ixion]

28. #2 is my bet

Crimes of passion or home invasions usually aren't so tidy. This sounds like a professional hit, to me.

[snooper2]

31. wrong on all three counts..

nt

[proteus_lives]

49. Yeah, murder-suicide.

That sucks.

[yella_dawg]

75. Never recovered from husbands death by illness last year.

News reports. Fascinating things.

[X_Digger]

12. Local news is saying murder-suicide. n/t

5 minutes from my house :(

[Blue_Tires]

14. so was it the daughter or mother?

[X_Digger]

15. No word yet, and they were relying on 'anonymous sources inside the PD'. n/t

[RedEarth]

29. Medical examiner: Coppell mayor killed daughter then herself

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office says the mayor of Coppell killed her 19-year-old daugher then took her own life.

The mayor of an upscale Dallas suburb and her teenage daughter were found shot to death after the usually prompt city leader failed to show up at a council meeting.

The bodies of 55-year-old Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters and 19-year-old Corrine Peters were discovered at their house last night. Today the medical examiner's office said both died of gunshot wounds to the head. The report said Corinne Peters' death was a homicide; her mother's death was ruled a suicide.

City spokeswoman Sharon Logan says police who were dispatched -- after the mayor wasn't present for the start of a city council meeting and never called -- found no signs of forced entry at the family's home.

Logan says both women were shot in the head. Police declined to release further details.

Jayne Peters, who was a contract software developer, had served as mayor of Coppell She previously served as a council member since 1998 in the city of about 40,000, located 15 miles northwest of Dallas.

Corinne Peters graduated from Coppell High School this year. She and her mother lived alone in the house

The mayor's husband, Donald Peters, died in 2008.


http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-20100714-coppell-mayor--daughter-found-dead,0,4959186.story

[X_Digger]

30. More here..

http://www.salon.com/wires/allwires/2010/07/14/D9GUV8G81_us_mayor_daughter_dead/

The mayor of an upscale Dallas suburb killed herself, the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office ruled Wednesday.

Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters, 55, died of a gunshot wound to the head. Her 19-year-old daughter Corinne also died of a gunshot wound to the head, but her death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner's office said.

Police discovered the bodies Tuesday evening after the usually prompt mayor failed to show up for a city meeting. City spokeswoman Sharon Logan said there were no signs of forced entry.

[Kali]

33. wow

that seems pretty unusual, wonder if there is more to it

[BrklynLiberal]

35. THAT is sad........

[sui generis]

16. here's the missing gorilla:

They're saying no sign of forced entry, YET reason to believe it may have been a murder suicide. I'm going out on a limb here and guessing murder suicide requires that the murderee or suicidee has a weapon in their cold hand hand.

It's that or vampires and werewolves in our gated communities, clearly.

[superconnected]

19. A picture of the Mayor of Coppell - Jayne Peters

[HCE SuiGeneris]

26. Love your sig line.

:thumbsup:

[superconnected]

37. Thanks, love your avatar!

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ter]

42. Oh stop it, it's not a left/right issue

Someone is dead, it's not about her politics.

[MarkInSavannah]

53. Now that is just plain silly! Taking partisan politics a tad far, no?

[MilitarismFTL]

25. Wow...

Sounds like Texas is about to explode with teabagger depression and fury. My parents live in Coppell as well, and I was just there last week. This is very sad and a little more than disturbing. But the high schoolers in Coppell were described to me by natives (my parents just moved there recently) as " you see a lot of kids getting brand new high-end vehicles pretty frequently. My son says that's the only way parents believe they can keep their kids from committing suicide." Sad times.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

32. That's an interesting comment...

I live in Jackson Miss. and it constantly amazes me seeing high school age teens driving their own $30K vehicles, especially Yukons and Denalis.... freaking unbelievable. What in the hell do these kids have to look forward to?

[snooper2]

34. I wish the religous out there would at least have some honesty...

Look at this crap:

"By late Wednesday morning, a small collection of flowers, wreaths and cards decorated the front porch of the Peters' home. A printed letter said: "Please know that you are loved no matter what happens. I know that God is with you and giving you comfort. You both are with Don, a wonderful husband and father. A family again."


So, lets assume "Don" is in "heaven"...Okay great...all fine and dandy..

Let's say the daughter never did no wrong and was murdered, bingo- right into heaven back with her daddy and gawd.

Now we come to mommy, This selfish asshole kills her own child before popping a round in her own head. And she is supposed to be with her daughter and husband in heaven? Why can't these folks ever be just a little bit honest? If I remember the fairy tales correctly wouldn't murdering your own daughter pretty much seal your fate to hell? Shouldn't the note read:

"Corrine your life was taken from you unjustly and we hope you find happiness with your father in heaven. As for Jayne, the whole community hopes you enjoy burning in hell you fucking bitch."

[quakerboy]

67. Mental illness is a bitch

I have a friend who would just shake his head and say "back home, this would never have happened. We have community. We dont let people be alone to do this"

[BrightKnight]

70. Affluent suburb Christianity is not usually that black and white

when you get away from the talking points. In any case it sounded more like someone trying to come to terms with it than a discussion of Christian dogma.

Burn in hell you effing bitch is closer to my understanding of Christianity as well.

[TEXASYANKEE]

38. Good grief, I'm getting immune to this stuff.

I work in Dallas and live in an eastern suburb. As soon as I read "no sign of forced entry" I knew this was murder-suicide. Something like this seems to happen every day around these parts. Don't believe me, log on to www.wfaa.com (local ABC station) and read the daily headlines.

[tabasco]

40. Thank God they had a gun in the house!

[superconnected]

63. +1

[Ter]

41. CIA hit?

What did she know?

[Regret My New Name]

61. Oh snap! I bet the CIA was trying to install stop signs on Main St

to disrupt traffic, and she was about to expose them.

[MrsBrady]

62. you need the sarcams tag

clearly you have never been to Coppell.

[pettypace]

43. The craziest part of the story

The daughter was 19 years old, and was going to enroll at UT-Austin this fall.

Aren't people supposed to be at most 18 when the semester begins in August?

In other words, if your birthday is September 1st, you would still be 18 for a week of class. If you were born a day before on August 31st, you would be 17 that first week, going on 18 for the duration of your freshman year.


Really weird.

[bitchkitty]

45. ??? Why is that crazy?

Nobody takes a year off after graduation any more?

[IrishBuckeye]

51. Lot's of peopel start grade school a year late or are held back a year.

It's not odd at all.

[HooptieWagon]

58. I started college at 17,

My father started college at 15, started medical school at 18. I guess times have changed.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

68. I was 19 when I started University

I was 18 most of the year the turned 19 by the time I graduated high school.

My mum was the same, 19 when she started University.

(I had a court case when I was younger and it debated allowing deaf children into mainstream education, which is why I was held back a bit)

[PfcHammer]

44. They needed moar guns.

Then the daughter could have defended herself against the mother in a shootout. The best man wins. Please, sir, I want some moar guns. :eyes:

[proteus_lives]

48. If she had drugged her daughter and suffocated her in a car....

Would you be saying "they needed moar cars"?

:eyes:

[tabasco]

50. Yes, that's much more common than gun murders,

isn't it?

[proteus_lives]

66. Violence keeps falling.

You're going to need another canard.

[X_Digger]

69. Of attempted suicides, self-poisoning outnumbers guns by 3 to 1.

Half of all completed suicides involve firearms. There is also a huge disparity in methodology between the sexes.

http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html

[truthisfreedom]

54. Her apparent facebook page. Tragic.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/marycorinnepeters?ref=search

[Doctor_J]

60. Very lovely - just like her mom

What a disaster. My best to the survivors

[Doctor_J]

56. Can some psychologist here tell me why Her Honor would kill her daughter?

I guess if the depression is bad enough I could get my arms around suicide, by why snuff out her daughter's life?

[rainbow4321]

59. Local paper says that the mayor never got over her husband dying

of cancer a couple years ago and that her daughter leaving home MAY have pushed her over the edge.
The daughter had delayed her freshman orientation at UT Austin a few times "because her mom went to the doctor a few times". A friend asked the daughter if her mom was ok and the daughter just said "she will be fine".
Now, the question is, what kind of "doctor"..was it for mental health problems?
The daughter was supposed to be going to freshman orientation today (Wednesday), could be with the mom knowing the orientation was this week, reality hit her that her daughter was leaving and she did this?

And..there is some local outrage that the city has it's flags at half staff for the mayor given that she killed her daughter.

[superconnected]

64. I've been reading the news for a couple of decades now and I haven't run into this one before.

I was sure if it was a murder suicide that it would have been the 19yo shooting the 55yo.

[shrike]

71. Family annihilator?

Except it's usually fathers who do it, and they kill mom, kids, etc.

I've never heard of a woman doing it.

I'm not a psychologist, btw, nor do I play one on TV.

[superconnected]

65. RIP Corrine. You were far too young to die.

[shrike]

72. There was a situation in my town where a stepfather killed his stepdaughter

Not a shred of evidence he was sexually abusing her, in case you're wondering. But she had apparently been rebelling against family rules, which for older teens is par for the course. One day they had a big blowout over something, he lost it and killed her.

His son, her half-brother, was out in the yard playing. He made the boy go to the neighbor's house two doors down, then made a quick 9-1-1 call (so that his wife wouldn't be the one to find the bodies) and killed himself before police got there.

Maybe this woman "lost it" as well. We'll likely never know.

[BlueGirlRedState]

73. I read this story on Yahoo and the comments were awful

Most espoused that illegal aliens had murdered the family. And of course, it was all Obama and the Democrats fault.

I really need to stop reading Yahoo comments. Those people are ill-informed and vicious.

I can't imagine a mother taking her child's life.

[BrightKnight]

77. Gun belonged to the Mayor of Cedar Hill. borrowed to acquire a concealed cary permit

The mayor of Cedar Hill said she borrowed it to acquire a concealed carry permit.