GENEVA TOWNSHIP —
The streets were quiet Monday at the Austin Manor trailer park.
Lined with puddles and slush-filled ditches, the main road of the park leads straight to Cynthia Perry’s plain white trailer — the place the 37-year-old woman died of a gunshot wound Sunday night.
Jealousy fueled the violence at house trailer 16 when Perry told her 40-year-old boyfriend, Jason DuBois, that she was seeing someone else, Sheriff William Johnson said.
With the news that his ex-girlfriend was moving on, DuBois hid under the metal skirting of Perry’s house trailer and waited, Johnson said.
“(DuBois) laid in wait. When (Perry) pulled into the driveway, he came out from underneath the skirting of the trailer and shot her at close proximity,” he said. “(Perry) had no place to go. She couldn’t escape.”
DuBois and Perry’s 16-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting and called police, Johnson said.
Johnson said deputies found DuBois’ footprints leading to and away from the space under the house trailer.
“The gunshot wound to the head killed her,” he said, “but she was shot twice.”
“(Perry) died instantly,” coroner's investigator Jim Baehr said. “Her body was sent to the Cuyahoga County medical examiner for autopsy.”
Johnson said Dubois was still holding the handgun when he ran off into the wooded area behind the cluster of house trailers, where deputies found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the temple. DuBois was unconscious but still breathing and was transported to Geneva Medical Center and transferred to the Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center, where he died Monday morning.
“With a wound like that, his chances of survival were slim,” Johnson said.
Baehr said the Cuyahoga County medical examiner will likely do an autopsy on DuBois’ body.
“We know that the daughter saw or was aware of what happened and she knew her mom was down. Now she doesn’t have a mom or a dad,” Johnson said.
Johnson said investigators are waiting on the coroner’s toxicology report to determine if DuBois was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the murder-suicide.
“At the end of the day he could have been under the influence of drugs, but it appears that he couldn’t accept the fact that she was moving on with her life,” he said.
Johnson said investigators are gathering evidence, not for court, but for closure.
“With the victim and the perpetrator both deceased, now we concentrate on the well-being of the 16-year-old daughter,” he said. “We want to make sure that she has a home, hopefully with family.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
CYNTHIA J. PERRY
Related Links
Discussion
Murder suspect dies; victim couldn’t escape
- Local News
-
-
Garage Sale Bonanza accepting donations at Saybrook Plaza store
Pat Graham pulls a shopping cart of random items through the cavernous storefront at the Saybrook Plaza.
-
Dog tied to Dumpster, abandoned in Geneva Township
The skinny dog choked on the rope holding him to a green Dumpster. People came and went, unsure of the hairless creature’s temperament. After awhile, people knew something had to be done — a dog can’t live tied to the garbage can.
-
Task Force nabs Ashtabula man in traffic death case
An Ashtabula man who served time in connection with a 2006 traffic death was arrested Friday morning by members of a special law enforcement task force, officials said.
-
No automatic recounts result from Ashtabula County May election
No problems, no glitches — and no automatic recounts — resulted from Ashtabula County’s May special election.
-
Plaque saluting Conneaut war dead to make debut
The names of 49 people who gave their lives during times of combat can now be found on a plaque that will be featured at Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony in Conneaut.
-
Ashtabula Downtown Development Association to explore restoration of theater — public asked for input
The Ashtabula Downtown Development Association (ADDA) has embarked on a process to study and make recommendations about the possible restoration of Shea’s Theater. The Association’s Economic Restructuring Committee will be exploring potential entertainment options for the theater, examining successfully restored theaters in other communities, and looking at issues of sustainability.
-
Students learn about the outdoors in Ashtabula Gulf
More than 275 fifth and sixth grade students spent half a day in the Ashtabula Gulf learning about nature, art and photography.
-
Children release butterflies at YMCA Learning Center
A line of more than 20 children walked carefully from the Ashtabula YMCA to a flower bed where they prepared for the annual butterfly release; symbolizing a change of life.
-
Prison workers improve Port of Conneaut Marine Memorial Park
Port of Conneaut Marine Memorial Park got a face-lift Friday with the help of the staff at Lake Erie Correctional Institution.
-
Local group proposes charter form of Ashtabula County government
County government could see a big change if a local group is successful in getting a proposed charter form of government on the November ballot.
- More Local News Headlines
-
