In the quiet town of Trenton, Missouri, a sense of unease had settled over 53-year-old Rebecca Taul. She had recently ended a relationship with her ex-boyfriend, David M. Call, 50, and a chilling fear for her safety had taken root. This fear was palpable enough that she confided in a neighbor, admitting she was 'scared of him' and wanted him nowhere near her. In the hopes of finding both companionship and a sense of security, she had even recently acquired a bulldog.
On a late Sunday afternoon in October 2014, a neighbor noticed Call approaching Taul's home on Grundy Street, a sight that sparked a feeling of deep discomfort. Though the neighbor heard no gunshots, the smell of smoke later that evening, around 9 p.m., signaled that something was terribly wrong. Firefighters were soon on the scene, battling a blaze that had engulfed Rebecca's home. Once the flames were extinguished, a grim discovery was made in the front room: the bodies of both Rebecca Taul and her new bulldog.
The investigation quickly uncovered a brutal crime. An autopsy would later reveal that Taul had been shot multiple times, and her dog had also been fatally shot once. Investigators found several spent. 380 caliber shell casings at the scene, and the fire was determined to have been intentionally set, a desperate attempt to conceal the violent acts that had transpired. The focus of the investigation almost immediately centered on David Call, who was described as being distraught over the end of his relationship with Taul. A crucial piece of information came from an individual who informed law enforcement that Call had confessed to them, stating he was 'standing over a dead body' and had started the fire so no one would know what happened.
With the evidence mounting, authorities moved to apprehend Call. He was tracked to a home in Gentry County, but as law enforcement closed in, he barricaded himself inside. A tense standoff ensued, during which Call fired several shots at the officers. After approximately four hours, officers made entry into the residence and found David M. Call dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Prior to his death, charges had been filed against him, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, second-degree arson, and abandonment of a corpse. The tragic end to the standoff brought a close to the search for a suspect, but left a community to grapple with the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
