Barton Skubi, a 57-year-old White man, was found fatally shot inside his Southeast Austin home on June 16, 2026. Skubi lived at the residence with his wife, 52-year-old Kristin Standford, who was also discovered dead inside the house.
At approximately 3:21 p.m., officers with the Austin Police Department were sent to the 4700 block of East Oltorf Street after receiving a request to check on the occupants’ welfare.
Officers were initially unable to enter the residence because an aggressive dog was inside, delaying their access to the home. Once the property was secured and officers went inside, they located Skubi and Standford with apparent gunshot wounds.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene at 8:10 p.m. Austin Police Department homicide detectives and crime-scene specialists with Austin Forensic Science examined the residence and collected evidence to determine what had occurred before officers arrived.
Investigators concluded that Standford shot and killed her husband before turning the gun on herself. Police classified the deaths as a murder-suicide, with Standford identified as the person responsible for Skubi’s killing. Authorities did not publicly disclose a suspected motive or describe what may have led to the violence.
Because Standford died at the scene, no arrest was made and no criminal prosecution, trial or conviction was possible. Skubi’s death was recorded as Austin’s 28th homicide of 2026. Police continued to request information from anyone who might have known about the circumstances surrounding the couple or the events leading up to the shooting.
