08:25-01
7LGH-Shooting
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#96-18
GRAPHIC=Shooting
Salem police are looking for answers following a murder suicide at Lewis
Gale Hospital.
Yesterday an elderly man fatally shot his wife, who was a patient at the
hospital, and then took his own life.
Len Besthoff has the details.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It was
SUPER=03-Salem/Yesterday; :00
SUPER=01-Bill Downey/Lewis Gale Hospital President; :40
SUPER=01-Jeff Dudley/Salem Deputy Police Chief; :57
SUPER=@Len2; 1:07
RUNS=1:17
OUT Q=LB, News-7.
(( It was just another routine day at a rehabilitation unit at Lewis Gale
Hospital, until two shots rang out in room 402.
There a staffer found Miriam Neutze of Lexington, and her husband Frank,
both 71, both with bullet wounds to the head.
((JEFF DUDLEY/SALEM DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO THIS
MATTER HAS DETERMINED THAT THE MALE SUBJECT SHOT THE FEMALE SUBJECT, AND THEN
TURNED THE GUN ON HIMSELF.))
The shots from Frank Neutze's 38 caliber revolver killed his wife
immediately, he died an hour later.
Neutze was visiting his wheelchair bound wife, who had been in the hospital
since late January for treatment of a heart condition and other health problems
that were not life threatening.
((BILL DOWNEY/LEWIS GALE HOSPITAL PRESIDENT: IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT HE
WAS A REGULAR VISITOR. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES, WHAT OCCURRENCE, BUT THIS
WAS A ROUTINE VISIT.))
Police spent most of the day searching for a motive in this apparent murder
suicide.
At this point they won't say it was pre-meditated, but did find a note left
in the hospital room.
((JEFF DUDLEY/SALEM DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF: THERE WAS A NOTE LEFT ON THE
WINDOWSILL OF THE ROOM, GIVING INFORMATION TO THE DAUGHTER'S PHONE NUMBER, BOTH
AT WORK AND AT HOME.))
Police say an initial check of the couple's history has no indication of any
domestic trouble.
They add that the incident was confined to the patient's room, and no
hospital employees witnessed the shooting.
Len Besthoff, News-7.))
7Security
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=spr
TAPE#96-32
GRAPHIC=Shooting
Lewis-Gale officials are calling the murder-suicide an UNAVOIDABLE tragedy.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Salem/Yesterday;
At a police briefing, hospital president Bill Downey addressed security
concerns.
Downey says Lewis Gale currently has security guards working around the
clock-- plus 24 hour surveillance cameras.
But visiting hours for the rehabilitation unit are not strictly enforced...
plus, Downey says, there was no way of knowing that Frank Neutze (NEWTS) posed
any threat to his wife.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:07:50
IN Q=I think
((BILL DOWNEY/LEWIS GALE HOSPITAL: I THINK AS YOU LOOK AT THE ISSUE AT WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN SOCIETY AND SOME OF THE THINGS HAPPENING AROUND US, IT WAS AN
UNAVOIDABLE TRAGEDY. ))
SUPER=01-Bill Downey/Lewis Gale Hospital President;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=unavoidable tragedy
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Officials from other local hospitals say they'll make a case study out of
this incident... possibly enabling them to avoid similar situations.
Even still, they say THIS shooting is unique.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 15:52:53
IN Q=In certain
((MIKE BALLANTYNE/CARILION HEALTH SYSTEMS: IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, EVENTS
OCCUR THAT YOU JUST CAN'T PREPARE FOR. AND IN THOSE SITUATIONS YOU'RE REALLY
FOCUSED ON HOW YOU CAN HELP PEOPLE DEAL WITH THE SITUATION AFTER THE FACT. ))
SUPER=01-Mike Ballantyne/Carilion Health Systems;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=after the fact
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=NONE
The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is already
studying the feasibility of metal detectors at hospital entrances.
OSHA says the study is in response to recent threats on health care workers.
7Jones
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=cro
TAPE# edit of reed-kelly 96-17
GRAPHIC=none
An inmate who sent the Botetourt County sheriff a letter threatening to
rape and mutilate his family claims he did it to see if the sheriff reads his
mail.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File; (Quick!)
Jason Jones pleaded guilty yesterday in Circuit Court to sending the letter
to Sheriff Reed Kelly.
Jones faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced June 13th.
The sheriff says Jones told investigators that other inmates in the
Botetourt County Jail had told him Kelly never read letters from inmates.
Jones told the investigators he wanted to see if that was true.
(-------------)
7SchoolDelays
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School Info
It may be spring, but we still have some school delays this morning because
of snow and ice.
Take Boards
(mel reads boards)
7Weather
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Looking at the forecast -
It's going to be sunny and breezy today, but a little warmer.
Highs are going to be in the lower to mid 50s.
55Lewis-Gale
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPEedit of lgh-shooting #96-18
GRAPHIC=Shooting
Salem Police are looking for a motive following a murder suicide at Lewis
Gale Hospital.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Salem/Yesterday;
Just before noon yesterday, two shots rang out in a patient's room.
There, a staffer found Miriam Neutze (NEWTS) of Lexington, and her husband
Frank, both 71, with bullet wounds to the head.
Neutze was visiting his wheelchair bound wife, who had been in the hospital
since late January for treatment of a heart condition and other health problems
that were not life threatening.
Right now police won't say the murder-suicide was pre-meditated, but they
did find a note in the hospital room.
Friends say Frank Neutze was depressed about his wife's condition.
(-------------)
55Regional-Jail
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPEedit of l'burg-council #96-23
GRAPHIC=Lynchburg
A "yes" vote for Bedford County.
Lynchburg city council has agreed to allow the County back into the Blue
Ridge Regional Jail project.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;
At first, council last night decided to table the decision, but members
reconvened and voted unamiously to accept the county.
Bedford needs the approval of the other four participating localities before
it can rejoin the project.
The panel also heard from more than a dozen different non- profit agencies,
that hope to get a piece of the city's block grant money.
They included organizers of Lynchburg's midnight basketball league, which
hopes to start play this summer.
(/////SOT/////)
IN Q=Midnight basketball
((BLANCHE VALENTINE/ORGANIZER: MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL GETS KIDS OFF THE STREET BY
OFFERING LATENIGHT BASKETBALL, MANDATORY EDUCATION, COUNSELING, MENTORING, AND
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. ))
SUPER=01-Blanche Valentine/Organizer; :00
RUNS=:12
OUT Q=a safe environment.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
The city has about one million dollars in grant money available...but more
than two million dollars in requests.
(----------------)
55County-Supers
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=JoeD
TAPE#96-21
GRAPHIC=County Supers
Roanoke County parents say they aren't giving up hopes for a new high
school despite last week's defeat of a school bond referendum.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Week;
Voters rejected the 37 million dollar bond issue that would have built a
replacement for Cave Spring High School and eased overcrowding in other
classrooms.
Yesterday, south county parents criticized the supervisors for not doing
more to rally support for the bond issue.
They also challenged the board to find another way to address school needs.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Put your minds together
((KIRK MARTIN/PARENT: PUT YOUR MINDS TOGETHER AND GET THE COUNTY BACK TOGETHER,
AND FIND A WAY TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS THAT WE'VE ALL IDENTIFIED IN THE SCHOOLS
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.))
((MARY NASCA/CAVE SPRING JUNIOR HIGH PTA: YOU AND ONLY YOU FIVE MEN HAVE THE
POWER TO DO IT RIGHT. PLEASE ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO ATTEND A SCHOOL THAT MEETS
STATE GUIDELINES.))
SUPER=01-Kirk Martin/Parent; :00
SUPER=01-Mary Nasca/Cave Spring Junior High PTA; :12
RUNS=:31
OUT Q=that meets state guidelines.
ANCHOR=Melanie
SS=HOLD
The supervisors say they intend to move quickly to develop a plan
acceptable to the entire county.
They may appoint a blue-ribbon commission. In two weeks the supervisors
will sit down with members of the school board to consider their options.
55SchoolDelays
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School Info
The Calender says Spring, but Winter is still hanging around.
Snow and ice is forcing a few school's to delay opening this morning.
Take Boards
(mel reads boards)
55Weather
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Taking a look now at the
forecast-
It's going to be sunny and breezy in southwest Virginia today with highs in
the low to mid 50s.
Snow showers in the Greenbrier Valley will end by tonight.
Clear and cold tonight, with temperatures dropping into the 30s.
Tomorrow, spring like weather is back into the picture.
Expect sunshine with afternoon highs near 70-degrees.
Those kind of temperatures will stay with us through the weekend with
Saturday's high reaching near 80 degrees.
8LGH-Shooting
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=lbe
TAPE#96-18
GRAPHIC=Shooting
Salem Police have more investigating to do before they determine the motive
behind a murder suicide at Lewis Gayle Hospital.
Yesterday, an elderly man shot and killed his wife, who was a patient at
the hospital, and then took his own life.
Len Besthoff has the details.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It was
SUPER=03-Salem/Yesterday; :00
SUPER=01-Bill Downey/Lewis Gale Hospital President; :40
SUPER=01-Jeff Dudley/Salem Deputy Police Chief; :57
SUPER=@Len2; 1:07
RUNS=1:17
OUT Q=LB, News-7.
(( It was just another routine day at a rehabilitation unit at Lewis Gale
Hospital, until two shots rang out in room 402.
There a staffer found Miriam Neutze of Lexington, and her husband Frank,
both 71, both with bullet wounds to the head.
((JEFF DUDLEY/SALEM DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO THIS
MATTER HAS DETERMINED THAT THE MALE SUBJECT SHOT THE FEMALE SUBJECT, AND THEN
TURNED THE GUN ON HIMSELF.))
The shots from Frank Neutze's 38 caliber revolver killed his wife
immediately, he died an hour later.
Neutze was visiting his wheelchair bound wife, who had been in the hospital
since late January for treatment of a heart condition and other health problems
that were not life threatening.
((BILL DOWNEY/LEWIS GALE HOSPITAL PRESIDENT: IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT HE
WAS A REGULAR VISITOR. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES, WHAT OCCURRENCE, BUT THIS
WAS A ROUTINE VISIT.))
Police spent most of the day searching for a motive in this apparent murder
suicide.
At this point they won't say it was pre-meditated, but did find a note left
in the hospital room.
((JEFF DUDLEY/SALEM DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF: THERE WAS A NOTE LEFT ON THE
WINDOWSILL OF THE ROOM, GIVING INFORMATION TO THE DAUGHTER'S PHONE NUMBER, BOTH
AT WORK AND AT HOME.))
Police say an initial check of the couple's history has no indication of any
domestic trouble.
They add that the incident was confined to the patient's room, and no
hospital employees witnessed the shooting.
Len Besthoff, News-7.))
8Neighbor-Neutzes
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#96-27
GRAPHIC=HOLD
Friends and neighbors of the couple believe the incident could have been a
mercy killing.
They say Frank Neutze had fallen into a depression when his wife became
sick, fearing she would not return home.
Kimberly McBroom has more.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=After moving
SUPER=03-Lexington; :00
SUPER=01-Jill Stockwell/Neighbor;:24
SUPER=01-Anne Babb/Neighbor; :45
SUPER=@Kimberly1; 1:06
RUNS=1:17
OUT Q=couldn't be without the other
(( After moving from New Jersey, this was home to Frank and Miriam Neutze
for nearly a decade.
Neighbors say Frank, a former attorney, played golf and often worked in his
yard.
Miriam, who was known as "Betty" to her friends-- was active in the
community.
But last year, Miriam suffered an aneurysm, had surgery, and was confined
to a wheelchair.
And with her illness-- came Frank's depression.
((JILL STOCKWELL/NEIGHBOR: I JUST KNOW HE WAS VERY UNHAPPY AND IT WAS SO
PAINFUL FOR HIM TO SEE HER, AND I COULD SEE IT IN HIM EVERY DAY, AND IT WAS
GETTING WORSE. ))
Those who knew her say Miriam was kind and generous-- often leaving gift
baskets at her neighbors' homes.
((ANNE BABB/NEIGHBOR: SHE WROTE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NOTES TO YOU-- I MEAN, WE'D
HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD PARTY AND SHE'D WRITE, "WHAT A WONDERFUL PARTY, YOU WERE SO
KIND, YOU WERE SO WONDERFUL-- SHE JUST WENT ON AND ON. ))
The Neutze's have three daughters--
Neighbors describe them as a "loving family."
((STOCKWELL: I JUST KNOW THAT FRANK AND BETTY WENT TOGETHER. I KNOW THEY WERE
AS ONE, AND ONE COULDN'T BE WITHOUT THE OTHER. ))
According to neighbors, Miriam may have eventually had to enter a nursing
home because of her condition.
And they believe Frank feared his wife would never have been able to come
home.
Kimberly McBroom, News 7.))
8SchoolDelays
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=School Info
It may be April 10th, but some parts of the region are still battling
winter.
Snow and ice are forcing a few school's to delay opening this morning.
Take Boards
(mel reads boards)
8Weather
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Taking a look now at the
forecast-
It's going to be sunny and breezy today, but a little warmer.
Expect it to be clear and cold tonight with lows in the 30s.
Highs will be in the lower to mid 50s.
by SS