In what should have been a joyous time for newlyweds, a quiet Sunday evening dinner turned into a scene of unimaginable tragedy in a Northland home just outside of Parkville, Missouri. Sharmalee Pauling, a 73-year-old female, had recently found love again, marrying Carl Deruyscher just two weeks prior. On June 10, 2018, the couple hosted a small family gathering, a weekly tradition, that ended in a horrific murder-suicide.
The peaceful evening was shattered when Sharmalee's 50-year-old
son, Douglas Pauling, opened fire, tragically ending the lives of his mother, her new husband, Carl Deruyscher, 66, and his own ex-wife, 49-year-old Margaret 'Maggie' Girard. The only survivor of the rampage was the 14-year-old daughter of Douglas Pauling and Maggie Girard, who managed to escape the home and frantically call for help. She was physically unharmed but left with the deep trauma of the event.
Responding to the teenager's distressing call, Platte County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the Thousand Oaks neighborhood to a grim discovery. Inside the home, they found the bodies of Sharmalee Pauling, Carl Deruyscher, and Maggie Girard. The shooter, Douglas Pauling, was also found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators quickly determined the incident to be a murder-suicide, with Douglas Pauling as the sole perpetrator.
Friends and family were left reeling from the sudden and violent loss of four lives. Those who knew the victims described Sharmalee and Carl as a wonderful couple who had both found happiness again after being widowed. Maggie Girard was remembered as a kind and generous soul, a devoted mother who shared a close, mother-like bond with Sharmalee. While the motive for the killings remains unclear, a friend mentioned that Douglas Pauling had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been refusing to take his medication. The tragedy left a community in mourning and a young girl orphaned, forever changing the lives of those connected to the family.
