Dale Leigh Patterson (1956-2010)

Dale Leigh Patterson (1956-2010)

Murder
3 Dead In Double Murder-Suicide. Lake Mary, Florida, May 6, 2010. Three people are dead after a double murder-suicide in Seminole County on Thursday, police said. Investigators said the gunman shot himself after killing a woman and a man. The shots were fired at the intersection of North Sundance Drive and Holbrook Circle in the Lakewood subdivision at The Crossings near Lake Mary. The subdivision is near Lake Mary High School and Greenwood Middle School. Authorities said the schools were not involved and classes continued as normal.The bullet holes in the front door of the home only told part of the story. "Shots are fired into the residence, several through the front door, some through the side of the house," Seminole County Sheriff's Office Lt. James Clark said. People were on their way to work and to school at about 7:30 a.m., when silence was shattered by gunfire. John Marshall, 59, rode a scooter to the home of his ex-wife. He was going after her husband of seven years. "He obviously came here and was intent on carrying out this act," Clark said. The first victim was Orval "Dale" Burkhart, 59, who fled up the street in an attempt to save his life. Marshall overtook him on the scooter and shot him in the middle of the roadway. Marshall's ex-wife, Dale Marshall Burkhart, had left for work but was apparently called back home and drove right into the middle of the murder scene. "She comes home, we believe, turns the corner right as he's firing upon her now current husband. She immediately sees what's going on, and he runs up to her and fires several rounds into her car, striking her and killing her instantaneously, and she was attempting to reverse and back out, and the car literally drifted back in reverse and hit a tree," Clark said. When neighbors tried to go after John Marshall, he turned the gun on himself. Investigators said the couple had lived in the home for years, with only one issue involving the ex-husband. John Marshall had been arrested a couple of years ago for violating an injunction. "He had apparently abused the children, and that's why the ex-wife in the case had divorced him," Clark said. The Marshalls had five children during their marriage. Only one of the children is still of school age and had left the home before the incident. A neighbor said John Marshall had recently lost a legal battle over unpaid child support.