Fountain – A man who had been separated from his wife for about two months shot and killed her Wednesday and then shot himself, according to Fountain police Sgt. Jess Freeman.
Steve Muniz Jr., 22, used a .45- caliber gun to shoot his wife, Rachelle Muniz, 20, at least three times about 10 p.m. Wednesday on the back porch of her grandfather’s home in the 1300 block of Southmoor Drive, police said. Rachelle Muniz had been staying there since the separation in June.
Steve Muniz left a suicide note, police said.
An autopsy conducted Thursday determined that Rachelle Muniz was shot once in the neck, once in the cheek and once in the temple. Steve Muniz died from a single gunshot to the head.
The couple had two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl. They were with grandparents Thursday and were not present at the time of the shootings.
Freeman said Steve Muniz had been sending letters to his wife and keeping a journal, which were found during the execution of a search warrant.
“We found the suicide note. We also found the letters that he had sent to her, and they were continuously getting more aggressive as the separation went on,” Freeman said.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
