A Houston-area man who recently relocated from Littleton is charged with killing his pregnant wife at their home.
Harris County jail records show 37-year-old Michael Alan McDougall of Spring, Texas was booked Monday on a capital murder charge and held without bail. Electronic records had no listing for an attorney for him.
The sheriff’s office says 30-year-old Jennifer Elaine McDougall, who was about six months pregnant, was shot several times. Her unborn child did not survive.
Investigators say witnesses reported hearing gunfire and a woman scream Sunday morning. Deputies arrested McDougall at the house. A handgun was recovered. A motive for the shooting is sought.
The family has three other children.
Neighbor Steve Hochanadel, who says he works with Michael McDougall, says both families relocated from the Denver area last year.
McDougall, an engineer in the petroleum industry, was transferred to Houston for work, said a former Littleton neighbor.
The neighbor, who asked not be identified, described the McDougalls as “nice people.”
“Mike is every attentive of his family,” the neighbor said. “He spent a ton of time with the kids in the back yard.”
The neighbors spent some time “talking over the fence,” he said, and they also occasionally had a beer or a drink together on the front steps of their homes.
“They are just a good family,” the Littleton man said.
The neighbor said he helped McDougal with a few chores in “getting his house ready to sell.”
“They were so excited about moving to Houston,” he said. “They found their dream house.”
“This is such a contradiction from the people I knew.”
The Denver Post contributed to this report.
