FENTON, Mo. (AP) - A man who is accused of shooting his estranged wife and killing his father-in-law in the St. Louis area committed suicide in rural northwest Arkansas when law enforcement attempted to take him into custody, authorities said in a news release Friday.
St. Louis County police said Arkansas State Police are investigating following the death of 45-year-old James Kempf, but provided no other details about the arrest attempt.
Kempf had been charged with one count of second-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old John Colter and two-counts of armed criminal action.
A probable cause statement said Kempf came into a home near the St. Louis suburb of Fenton on Jan. 23 and shot his wife in the leg. Colter sought to intervene and was shot in the head, police said.
The woman was able to flee and called 911. For several hours, officers believed the suspect was inside the home, prompting efforts to contact and negotiate with him.
But the probable cause statement said Kempf fled immediately after shooting Colter.
Kempf and his wife were in the middle of a contentious divorce after 17 years of marriage, according to court records. The newspaper said a judge in November granted her request for an order of protection that prohibited Kempf from coming within 500 feet of her.
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