Murder-suicide shocks Fort Collins neighborhood

Fort Collins police worked through the day Thursday investigating an apparent murder-suicide while residents — some still in shock — described the deceased as a perfect neighborly couple.

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Public records and neighbors identified the deceased husband and wife as Darrell and Martie Hoyer. The Larimer County Coroner's Office is expected to confirm the individuals' names after an autopsy, which will likely be conducted Friday.

A man identified by neighbors as Darrell Hoyer died by suicide near the intersection of Timberline and Prospect roads early Thursday. He drove to the spot near his Eastwood Drive home after fatally shooting his wife and the couple's two dogs, Fort Collins Police Services Deputy Chief Cory Christensen said.

Officers located the woman at a home in the 2200 block of Eastwood Drive, which is separated from Fort Collins police headquarters only by the Power Trail and a grassy field. Police were dispatched to the area before 5 a.m. on a report of suspicious circumstances, entered the home about 20 minutes later and found the woman neighbors identified as Martie Hoyer deceased inside.

After the woman was shot and prior to police arrival to the scene, Darrell Hoyer apparently left the home and drove to the nearby Edora Pool and Ice Center parking lot. From there, he hiked to an area near the Timberline Substation, northeast of the residence, where he shot himself, Christensen said.

"It seems like a really bad TV show episode right now, and I'm kind of wondering if this is real or not," said Megan Skeehan, the couple's next-door neighbor. She described the Hoyers as the sort of people who would help shovel neighbors' sidewalks, trim hedges and "talk your ear off."

Skeehan said she never noticed any tension between her neighbors. They last spoke Wednesday about their pets.

"I just know that they had a new house getting built," Skeehan said. "They were getting ready for a new, exciting part in their lives. They really cared about everyone that was in their life."

Murder-suicide incidents are rare in Fort Collins. In July 2014, a man shot and killed his grandson before turning his gun on himself in southwest Fort Collins.

The last homicide in the city happened on Oct. 5, when a Fort Collins police officer shot and killed Tino Martinez after the two exchanged gunfire. The officer's use of deadly force was later deemed justifiable by the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.

Before Thursday's incident, there had been no fatal shootings, aside from suicides, within city limits in 2015.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.



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Mobile users, view this map of apparent murder-suicide locations here.