In the quiet community of McCalla, Alabama, a family's concern grew after they were unable to get in touch with Bernice Owens Hulgan and her husband. This concern led to a grim discovery on a Sunday night in late July of 2022. A family member, having gone to their home on Myron Clark Road to check on their well-being, found 67-year-old Bernice and her 68-year-old husband, Louis 'Grant' Hulgan, deceased inside their residence.
The cause of their deaths was immediately apparent; both had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office launched a thorough investigation into the double fatality. The evidence collected at the scene painted a clear and tragic picture of the events that had transpired. Investigators concluded that Grant Hulgan had shot and killed his wife, Bernice, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. This determination brought a swift, yet somber, conclusion to the investigation, leaving a family and community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of the couple. No arrests were made as the perpetrator was also deceased.
Bernice Lorraine Owens Hulgan, born on March 25, 1955, was remembered by friends as a sweet and kind person. Her husband was a former world champion skeet shooter, a fact that stood in stark contrast to the violent end of their lives. The incident left those who knew them shocked and searching for answers that would likely never fully come to light. A graveside service was held for Bernice the following month, where family and friends gathered to mourn her passing and celebrate the life she had lived.
