| October 24, 2009 Mother shot in murder-suicide filed for divorce, had restraining order
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(NECN: Lauren Collins, Manchester, NH) - Police say Melissa Charbonneau of Manchester, New Hampshire was shot and killed at the hands of her estranged husband, who later took his own life.
Melissa Charbonneau thought her estranged husband was at work when she and her dad went to the Jewett street home Thursday afternoon.
"I's unclear why she went to the house," says New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin, "although it appears she and her father went to the home thinking the defendant would not be there."
The six hour standoff that followed ended with Melissa murdered, her father seriously wounded, and Jonathan Charbonneau dead of his own hand.
"It breaks all of our hearts," says one neighbor who only wished to be identified as Melissa M.
It was the end of a tumultuous week inside the house the couple shared with their seven-year-old son and his two children from a previous relationship.
Court documents describe in Melissa's own handwriting an horrific outburst on Tuesday that amounted to the last straw in a marriage to a man who apparently had a history of violent tendencies.
They got into a "small argument," she states in the domestic violence petition filed on Wednesday. "He slammed me up against the wall," she writes, "then threw me down the stairs," and "climbed on top of me continued to choke me."
Jonathan was arrested, charged with simple assault, and freed on bail.
Strelzin says "he was to have no contact with her and he was not to have any weapons."
On Wednesday, Melissa filed for divorce, and a sheriff's deputy served Jonathan with a restraining order. But, "a protective order is only as good as the paper its written on if the person doesn't respect law enforcement," says Donna Raycraft of the Rape and Domestic Violence Crisis Center who says Melissa did everything right. Statistically, she notes, violence of this scale erupts when the victim decides to leave the relationship.
"She did what she needed to do," says family member Ilona Bolich who calls the 29 -year-old nurse a beautiful, strong woman.
CLICK HERE for more reaction from Charbonneau's family.
"We have a lot of wonderful memories of her and we're gonna miss her a lot," she says.
Family and friends have set up a fund to support the children the couple leaves behind. The ones Bolich says leaned on Missy as their rock. "It was very impressive what she did for these children they were her everything."
A fund has been set up for Melissa's children. If you would like to make a donation, you can write a check to:
- Missy's Children Donation Fund
- P.O. Box 3842
- Manchester, NH 03105
Or visit any St. Mary's Bank branch.
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