Batesville Herald Tribune, Batesville, Indiana

Local News

March 28, 2008

Murder-suicide in Milan

Diane Raver

Staff Writer

Police may never know why a man shot his wife to death, then himself at their Milan home.

No motive has been revealed in the deaths of Charles Hacker, 42, and Karen Hacker, 40, said Sgt. Noel Houze, Indiana State Police Versailles District public information officer.

Milan police officers responded to the site of an apparent murder-suicide Monday, March 24, at 4:50 p.m. after a Ripley County dispatcher received a 911 call about two persons believed to be dead inside a house at 6342 E. County Road N., Milan, according to Houze.

The bodies were discovered by a relative, he reported.

After an autopsy at the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office, Louisville, Ky., identified the bodies, it was determined both died of apparent gunshot wounds, Houze said.

“The investigation revealed Charles Hacker shot and killed his wife, then turned the gun on himself. Although final autopsy results will not be available for several weeks, based on evidence at the scene and preliminary autopsy findings, the Ripley County Coroner’s Office has ruled the incident a murder-suicide,” Houze said.

When asked whether drug or alcohol use led up to the gunshots, the sergeant replied, “We won’t know anything ... until the toxicology results come back.”

“Investigators determined multiple shots were fired during the incident .... (and they) believe the incident occurred a couple of days before the bodies were discovered.”

Although there were no eyewitnesses, people reported hearing gunshots, “but the time they heard the shots didn’t correspond with the time of the deaths,” the officer reported. “Investigators believe someone was just shooting in the area (target practice) Sunday afternoon, but that’s not when the incident occurred.”

The Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, Batesville Police Department and Ripley County Prosecutor’s Office also aided the investigation.

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