By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
SELLERSBURG — The fatal shooting of a Sellersburg husband and wife Saturday has been ruled a murder-suicide, according to Sellersburg Detective Sgt. Mark Levesque.
Sellersburg Police Department officers responded to a 911 call at 4:30 p.m. concerning a possible suicide at 320 Popp Ave.
Officers found Brenda Strojny, 57, in the kitchen with multiple gunshot wounds. Her husband, 57-year-old Peter Strojny, was in the bathroom with a single gunshot wound. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
A relative discovered the bodies after checking on them because the couple had not been heard from and had not been answering the phone. Police believe the shooting occurred sometime Friday night.
“Based on evidence at the scene, it appears that Mr. Strojny shot his wife while she was seated at the kitchen table. He then shut himself inside the bathroom and shot himself,” Levesque said.
Consistent with shell casing found in the kitchen, a .45-caliber handgun was located next to Peter. Levesque said no evidence at the scene suggested anyone else was present at the time of the shooting.
Police say a brief note was left stating which family members were to get personal property, but nothing in the note indicated a reason for the shooting.
Family members told police that Peter had been battling alcoholism for years and was planning to check himself into rehab last week, but did not.
Levesque said there was no evidence suggesting a big fight, but that he could only speculate what may have triggered the shooting.
“I don’t know if it was planned days before, hours before, minutes before. There is no way for us to know,” Levesque said. “He obviously intended to do it. It wasn’t an accident.”
Police say Peter had reportedly been violent with his wife in the past.
“There was a history of domestic issues with the couple,” Levesque said.
Family members told police there had been a domestic dispute within the last couple of weeks which resulted in Peter leaving the home for a couple of days. Peter was arrested in 2005 for domestic battery involving his wife.
“We always tell people if you get into a relationship where there is domestic violence, you should get help. Police do need to be called because the problem doesn’t usually go away. It can escalate,” Levesque said.
With detectives finding that all evidence points toward a murder-suicide, no autopsy is planned.
