I was in shock because the husband had murdered his wife and then killed himself and I was in total disbelief and apparently so is our little community. I just know that the husband had to be in some form of mental or emotional distress because I never saw anything but gentleness and love from him towards his wife. Here's some further information on this story that brings be to believe this more than ever. This is a story from one of our local news stations, 23ABC.
SHAFTER, Calif. - Circumstances surrounding the murder-suicide of an elderly couple in Shafter reveal a touching love story.
"Johnie and Claudine are perhaps one of the most loving couples I have ever met in my life," said their church pastor Mike Polley.
Whether out at events or at home, Johnie and Claudine Saulsbury were always side by side, unable to go without at least slightly touching each other.
Neighbors and the couple's pastor say every afternoon they would walk hand in hand around the neighborhood.
"They told me it was because they had to hold each other up and I saw the look in their eyes and they just needed to be together. They loved each other desperately," said Polley.
So desperately that Johnnie said he wanted them to die together.
And they did.
Thursday morning, a relative went to check on Johnie and Claudine at their home in Shafter and found them dead inside.
Shafter police say Johnie had stabbed Claudine to death and then hanged himself in the garage.
One day before they were scheduled to move to an assisted living facility.
"He didn't want to move away from here. He decided he didn't want to move into Bakersfield," said a neighbor who did not to be identified.
Friends and family say for the past 50 years, the couple had lived in that Shafter home and raised three children there.
They were active in the community, especially at Valley Bible church.
The neighbor said Claudine was more willing to move than Johnie.
"[Claudine] said [to me] 'I won't even have to cook in there unless I want to'," said the neighbor.
She said the couple were in poor health and Johnie was taking medication.
"I'm sure without him taking that medicine that he would not have done this. There's no way. He must've snapped," said the neighbor.
Everyone 23 ABC spoke to are shocked, saying they will miss the couple who loved their community and even more so, each other.
"Johnnie and Claudine are pillars in this community...and they have had a great impact on their family and friends and all the people in their neighborhood," said Polley.
Johnie and Claudine Saulsbury would have celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this month.
Such a sad situation. I drove by their home this evening on my way home from work and there were several cars parked there and there were people moving things out of the home. I'm sure it was their children and people from their church. That was not the way they had planned to move.
Such a tragic story. You do wonder what drives people to do the things they do.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how difficult it would be be to move away from their beloved home. What I don't understand is the horror he chose to end his wife's life. I too, live in California. Your newest follower, Linda
This was a tragic story, incredibly sad. Even today as my mom and I were driving back we drove by the house and my mom commented on how she hoped Claudine had not been too scared and why couldn't he have killed her using pills or something not quite to violent. I told her that know one really knows, all we really know is that in getting to know them as neighbors all we saw between them was true love. Somethings about this will always remain a mystery.
DeleteHi Linda! Welcome to my world :)
ReplyDeleteThis was a tragic story, incredibly sad. Even today as my mom and I were driving back we drove by the house and my mom commented on how she hoped Claudine had not been too scared and why couldn't he have killed her using pills or something not quite to violent. I told her that know one really knows, all we really know is that in getting to know them as neighbors all we saw between them was true love. Somethings about this will always remain a mystery.
Such a sad story - after a lifetime of love, to have it go that way....
ReplyDeleteI know. I still cannot wrap my head around it. And then I think of their children, to never have seen their parents give anything other than love their whole lives and to have their lives end so tragically! How do you go on from there? It's unimaginable.
DeleteThis is very sad. Unfortunately I don't think this was a romantic suicide pact. Stabbing is a very horrific way of taking someone's life, and would be indicative of anger. I suppose if one is trying to kill someone the method ultimately does not matter, but stabbing is a very up close violation of one's personhood.
ReplyDeleteI think the poor guy snapped possibly from the medication coupled with the fear of moving. It is tragic and very hard to understand. What a terrible thing for the children to have to face.
Unfortunately we will never know and that's the hard part. You see a couple that seems totally in love and they've been married for 60 years and then to have it end so tragically makes it so hard to wrap you head around the whole thing. I feel so sorry for their children too.
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