The last moments of Alice Morrin's life were a terrifying struggle to protect her two children, even as they faced the possibility she would not survive.
Morrin sent a series of text messages to her friend, saying her husband James threatened her with a gun, the Hartford Courant reported.
The first text message came at 11:50 p.m. on Sunday night. "Help, call Vernon police. Jim just dragged me in our room put loaded gun to my head. Hurry please he would hear me on the phone. I talked him down."
Alice Morrin, 43, had filed for divorce from her husband in April. The divorce was to become final this Friday, the paper reported.
The couple's daughters, Erica, 15, and Shannon, 9, were home at the time of the incident. The next text came a few minutes later, this time becoming more frantic. "I am back in bedroom. Erica in basement. Shannon front bedroom. He has large knife too, hurry. No joke he is going to kill me."
And then two more just moments later. "Hurry please, are they coming." That was followed by, "Police are they coming. He showed its loaded. Held me down, hurry I need to get Shannon."
Morrin called 911 at 11:54 p.m. She told them about what was happening, and that there were children in the house, police said.
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Two minutes later, she sent her final text message "I'm dead. God," the Courant reported.
Officers arriving at the Gerald Drive home heard two quick gunshots, followed by a single shot, police said. The officers decided to enter the home to find the children. They found Erica running from the house. Police located Shannon in a bedroom.
Authorities also found Alice Morrin dead. She had been shot twice. They found James Morrin dead as well, with a shotgun nearby, police said.
Alice Morrin worked as an assignment editor as Fox 61 in Hartford, but had just been promoted to an administrative position at the Hartford Courant. Both entities are owned by the Tribune Company. Counselors have been brought in to help co-workers deal with the tragedy.
