ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 16, 1996 TAG: 9609160074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS
SOURCE: Associated Press
Two-year-old Julie was the most important person in her parents' lives. That love may have led to their deaths.
On Saturday, Julie's father, Martin Holt Williams, pulled out a rifle and shot her mother, Karal Suzanne Hughes. He then turned the gun on himself, police said.
Newport News police spokeswoman Patricia Schlosser said the two had been having domestic problems and Hughes, 32, had moved out of their apartment last week.
Williams' employer, Rene Kassing, said Julie may have been at the center of the dispute.
``We knew that [Hughes] had threatened to not allow him to ever see Julie again,'' she said. ``I think that was on his mind since Wednesday or Thursday.''
Hughes, a five-year employee at Applebee's in Hampton, ``always used to talk about her daughter, about what she would do for her daughter,'' said Applebee's manager Samy Hage. ``She always rushed home to go to her daughter. She was a loving mother.''
Williams, 39, a mechanic with K&K Service Co. in Williamsburg, was also devoted to Julie.
``His whole life was wrapped up in his little girl,'' said Kassing. ``He was proud as a peacock of that baby. She was his pride and joy.''
Their shared love for Julie didn't stop the violence.
Hughes' sister, Karen Berends, said her sister kept trying to leave Williams but he wouldn't let her. Finally, she moved in with Berends on Wednesday.
Saturday morning, Williams arrived at the apartment and demanded to see Hughes. She opened the door and he yanked her out, Berends said.
As Berends followed, Williams dragged Hughes out of the apartment to his van. ``He reached down inside the van, and that's when I saw the butt end of the rifle,'' Berends said.
Williams fired several shots from his .22-caliber rifle at Hughes and then shot himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hughes was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 11:46 a.m., police said.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB