Sydney man shoots wife dead, kills self

Sydney man shoots wife dead, kills self
Vincent Morello and Miles Godfrey
August 1, 2011 - 5:29PM
AAP

A school employee shot his wife, rang local police and then turned the gun on himself as officers rushed to the couple's Sydney home.

The bodies of Rod and Marina-Louise Tuddenham, both aged in their mid-50s, were found at their Rosemead Road home at Hornsby, in Sydney's north, about 1am (AEST) on Monday.

Detective Inspector Mick Banfield said police would review telephone records but believe the man they found was the caller.

Advertisement: Story continues below
"More than likely, he's murdered her, then turned the gun on himself," Det Insp Banfield told AAP.

He said officers were "pretty quick" to respond, and neighbours later told police they had heard gunshots.

Hornsby Local Area Commander Superintendent Michael Kenny said a woman's body was found in a bedroom and police located the man's body in the backyard.

"We do know that in relation to the deceased that a firearm was used and we believe that was the cause of both people's death," Supt Kenny told reporters on Monday.

Police established a crime scene and determined that both victims suffered a single gunshot, he said.

Supt Kenny would not rule out an assisted suicide or murder-suicide and would not comment on media reports the woman had a terminal illness.

The couple was not known to police and there was no record of domestic disturbances at the home.

No note was left at the scene, but two people who appeared to know the couple arrived at the house on Monday afternoon and were later driven away in police vehicles.

After alighting from a taxi, a woman put her hand over her mouth and bent over with an expression of shock and sorrow, witnesses told AAP.

A man later walked up and was spoken to police. Later, one officer outside the house was heard talking about a "brother" arriving on the scene.

Mr Tuddenham worked as a technical support officer at Ku-ring-gai Creative Arts High School, in nearby North Turramurra.

On an internet networking website he described his work as providing "day-to-day support to students and staff for laptops and wireless infrastructure provided by the Digital Education Revolution".

School principal Terri-Anne Kamasz declined to speak about the incident.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Education said comment was limited as the police investigation was ongoing.

"The sympathies of Ku-ring-gai High School are with the family and friends of the couple involved in this tragic event," the spokeswoman told AAP.

"Counselling is being offered to students and staff from the school."

A spokeswoman for insurance firm QBE, where Marina-Louise worked as an analyst, said it was difficult to respond because Monday was a bank holiday.

Mr Tuddenham's Facebook page mentions his son Zach Tuddenham, who states that he lives in Brisbane.

Police have spoken to neighbours but are still seeking information from anyone who may have witnessed anything related to the incident.

"Anybody with any information in relation to the history of the couple ... anybody that heard anything around 1am this morning, anybody that saw anything around 1am this morning, we would ask that they come forward," Supt Kenny said.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263)