An Alabama mother who was expecting was killed by her ex-husband, who also killed her boyfriend and himself.
Jessica Martin, 35, was eight months pregnant. Authorities say her ex-husband Jeffrey Lynn Martin, 47, stormed into her Phenix City home on Sept. 24, where she was fatally shot.
Richard Cook, 40, Martin’s boyfriend and father of their unborn baby, was killed while trying to protect her, the New York Post reported.
Family members of the male victim said he tried to defend them with a baseball bat.
Phenix City Police said after Martin killed the couple, he went to a wooded area nearby and killed himself.
Jessica was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Doctors tried to save the baby via caesarian but were unsuccessful.
Martin hadn’t been heard from in 10 years, but authorities say he showed up and started threatening his ex-wife the day before the horrific crime, the family told WTVM.
Martin shared a 14-year-old son with Jessica, who was inside the home during the murders.
“When I came up in the driveway, (Martin’s son) came up running to me saying, ‘Uncle Bubba, Richard’s dead, my dad shot him in the head, he went in there and said my mom is gurgling,’” Jessica’s uncle, Terry Moore, told the local outlet.
It’s unknown what led to the tragedy, but Martin was heard screaming he wanted to see his son before he opened fire.
“He was saying I just want to see my son, then he did what he did in front of his son,” Moore said.
