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Well Known Couple Found Slain in House, Murder-Suicide
posted (April 20, 2015)
Mike Estell and Colleen Sharp - they were a well-known couple in Ladyville, affluent, very social and committed parents to their 10 year old child. But last night they were carried out of their homes dead - both of them shot to the head in what looks like a domestic dispute turned murder, turned suicide. For the wider Ladyville community, it is an un-imaginable turn of events: how could this high - class couple end up dead in their home? Well it turns out that it was a murder suicide: police believe Mike Estell shot Coleen Sharp in a rage and then killed himself. 7News was on the scene last night:

Jules Vasquez reporting
At 8:15 on Sunday night - friends and family of Mike Estell and Colleen Sharp broke down the door of his house on the old Airport Road next to the Belikin Factory.

Inside they found 54 year old Mike Estell and his common law wife, 30 year old Coleen Sharp both dead in the bathroom on the second floor - which is here - he was face down, she was on her back with a gun lying between them. They had both been shot to the head:

Supt. Hilberto Romero, OC - CIB E/D
"We found two bodies. The fire arm was between the two bodies and they were each in a pool of blood. Michael Estell, 54 years old, with a single gunshot wound to the right side of his temple and Michelle Sharp, 30 years old, received a gunshot wound to the right side of her face, near her eyebrow."

They were both in their underwear - and there were signs of a struggle: a ball of her hair was on the bathroom floor and beside it his chain.

There were no signs of forced entry and no sign of burglary - so police believe it is a murder suicide - but they don't know yet who killed who, and then killed themselves.

Supt. Hilberto Romero, OC - CIB E/D
"We are presently conducting our investigation. The post mortems will be done today and the doctor will submit his reports, along with the firearm examiner and then we will be in a better position to establish what actually transpired there."

The weapon used was a .380 pistol licensed to Estell - and two expended shells were found in the bathroom. Police spent three hours processing the scene while family waited outside - wanting answers - when they were none - just the fact that their loved ones were dead inside the house.

In an unusual twist Dr. Mario Estradabran - who lives in Ladyville, spent hours inside doing his forensic analysis at the crime scene.

At about 11:30 - police told the family they would be moving the bodies. But Coleen's mother could not be consoled - begging to go inside to see her daughter's body:

After another five minutes, they finally put her into a vehicle away from the frontline while other family members stood at the fence to see police bring the bodies out. It wasn't pretty, seeing the couple, bundled up in sheets being carted down the stairs of the home where they had lived for a dozen years. First Mike Estell then Coleen Sharp - then driven out headed for the morgue - Indeed, an unimaginable end for a couple that was known to their neighbors the loving parents of a 10 year old daughter - a neighbor spoke to us off camera:

Voice of Neighbor
"Really shocking. The couple never bring any sense of uneasiness between them - never. It's very shocking."

More so because no one heard anything: no fight, no struggle, no shooting no gunshot. According to the bar manager who ran Mark's club on the ground floor - she was the last person to see them and Saturday was a normal night at the property:

Voice of Bar Manager
"About 10pm Mike pulled up and opened the gate, drove in and left the gate open and about 15 minutes later Coleen showed up as usual."

Reporter
"You closed the bar about what time last night?"

Voice of Bar Manager
"About 11pm."

Reporter
"Did you hear any kind of noise/ruckus to indicate that there was problems upstairs?"

Voice of Bar Manager
"Nothing."

But there is one thing that could explain this: what friends say was a sometimes-stormy relationship:

Reporter
"You never knew of any kind of history, any kind of domestic violence or domestic abuse?"

Voice of Bar Manager
"No. Because, like I said there were private people. They come in and they close the gate and they go upstairs and that's it. Because when you see Mike and Coleen together - its normal couple. Seriously you don't see anything wrong."

Voice of Neighbor
"It's hard for me to accept and believe, but I don't know the couple as that. That's it. Punto."

And the most important part of that picture was their ten year old daughter:

Voice of Neighbor
"As a parent myself, I am sorry for that little girl. I know them so well. She loves both her parents. I could imagine the devastation she will be in when she hear this news."

A shock and grief shared by a large extended family - echoed by incredulity in the wider community.

A post mortem conducted this evening confirmed that they both died of traumatic shock due to gunshot wounds to the head. All physical evidence indicates that Mike Estell was the one who shot Colleen Sharp - and then turned the gun on himself. This followed what appears to have been a very violent fight - where she fought back. This is believed to have happened sometime after 1:00 in the morning.

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