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Man, woman found dead in home
By AMY HERDY, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- The bodies of a Tampa man and woman were found Monday morning, the victims of an apparent murder-suicide, police said. The parents of 43-year-old Norman Lance McPeak became concerned when they had not heard from their son in awhile, said Tampa police spokeswoman Katie Hughes. They went to his home at 8425 N Alabany St. shortly after 11 a.m., found him dead and called 911. Both bodies were found in the rear of the home, Hughes said. Hughes said it appears McPeak shot the woman, who has not been identified, before turning the gun on himself. He did not leave a note, Hughes said, but the gun was found near him. The make of the gun has not been released. Investigators believe McPeak, a truck driver, once had a romantic relationship with the woman, Hughes said, but it was not clear what the status of their relationship was at the time of their deaths. Detectives were still investigating the motive for the crime, Hughes said. A search of state records showed McPeak was given 30 days of probation in 1978 for being drunk and disorderly. A neighbor of McPeak's, 80-year-old Lionel Vasquez, said he heard a shot between 9 and 10 p.m. Sunday but did not become alarmed because there were often fireworks in the working-class neighborhood of apartments and small concrete block homes. Vasquez, a retired truck driver, said he often heard cursing next door and women would often come and go from McPeak's single-story cream-colored block house with green trim. The large yard around the home was strewn with trash, and at least two pickup trucks were parked to one side of the lot, with a semitrailer truck in the side yard and another large commercial truck in back. Vasquez said two dogs that belonged to McPeak would visit his home every afternoon to be fed. Monday afternoon, Hillsborough County Animal Control officers caught a young black dog that reportedly belonged to McPeak, and took it to animal control facilities. The second dog, officials said, would be adopted by McPeak's parents. -- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Amy Herdy can be reached at 226-3386 or herdy@sptimes.com.
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From the Times |
