Watch CBS News

Mother, Disabled Son Shot Dead In Sunnyvale Murder-Suicide

SUNNYVALE (CBS SF) – A mother fatally shot her disabled 22-year-old son in their Sunnyvale home before turning the gun on herself, according to police.

Officers were called to the home on the 800 block of Nectarine Avenue around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday and found the mother and son inside. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The bodies were discovered by the woman's husband when he came home that night.

"Our investigation has led us to believe that it was a  murder-suicide," said Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Capt. Dave Verbrugge.

Police have not released the name of the two victims, pending the results of an autopsy, but property records indicate the house is owned by Lester Hodgins. Neighbor Heather Jauch said Hodgins lived there with his wife, Elizabeth and son, George, who was autistic.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

"It's shocking. That kind of thing has never happened on this street before," said Jauch, who said her family has owned a house on the block since 1955.

Lester and Elizabeth Hodgins are in their 50s and have lived in the neighborhood for five or six years, Jauch said.

Lester has worked as a supervising park ranger responsible for Foothills Park in Palo Alto for at least 25 years, said Greg Betts, a director of the city of Palo Alto Community Services Department.

"Lester's been a colleague and a friend for more than 25 years, and his wife and son are wonderful. Lester's one of the most kind, compassionate, caring people you'll ever meet," Betts said.

He said the staff at the community services department was reeling from the news.

Jauch said Elizabeth primarily stayed at home caring for their son, whose autism left him only mildly functioning.

"I don't know if she was feeling overwhelmed," Jauch said. "(George) didn't talk. He wasn't communicative...We would see them on occasion. They take walks in the neighborhood."

Originally, police were not sure if the killings were a murder-suicide, or a double murder.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.