2 dead in likely murder, suicide

6/3/2007

A central Toledo man and his girlfriend were found dead early yesterday morning in what city police believe was a murder-suicide.

Killed were Tonya McKinley, 45, and Marcus Staples, 49, who lived together in an apartment at 2264 Auburn Ave.

Police said they received an emergency call at 4:06 a.m. reporting a person screaming and shots fired at the Auburn Avenue address. They said Ms. McKinley was found in the apartments' basement, shot multiple times. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward, according to Sgt. Tim Noble.

Witnesses gave police a description of the vehicle in which they believed Mr. Staples had fled. A police crew spotted the vehicle, which was being driven by a relative of Mr. Staples. He told police he thought Mr. Staples might be at his sister's home in the 1900 block of Front Street.

At 5:20 a.m., police found Mr. Staples in his sister's kitchen, dead with a bullet wound in his head. A handgun was found at the scene, Sergeant Noble said.

Mr. Staples' sister, Sheila Taylor, obviously distraught yesterday, said her brother and Ms. McKinley had been together for "three or four years." The couple "had some troubles," she said, "but this came as a complete shock."

Mr. Staples worked as a truck driver and was a Toledo native, Ms. Taylor said.

A woman who lives in a house next to the Auburndale apartment building, which has four units on two floors, said she knew both Ms. McKinley and Mr. Staples well.

"I've known the Staples family for years. They're like my own family," said Margell Campbell, 72. "We're all just devastated. He must have just snapped."

She said Mr. Staples had a boat on which he used to take her husband fishing and said "he was there for me when I lost two sons."

Mrs. Campbell described Ms. McKinley as "a beautiful, hard-working woman. Every time I saw her, she had a smile on her face."

Sergeant Noble said police are continuing their investigation.