In the quiet early morning hours of December 30, 2014, the sterile halls of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire, became the scene of a heart-wrenching tragedy. Inside the critical care unit, 49-year-old Katherine Lavoie, a Caucasian female, lay on life support. Her life, however, would be taken not by the medical struggles she was enduring, but by the hand of her husband in a shocking act of violence.
Katherine's husband, 50-year-old Mark Lavoie, walked into her hospital
room shortly after 6 a.m. and fatally shot her before turning the gun on himself. The apparent murder-suicide sent ripples of shock through the community and left friends and family grappling with an incomprehensible loss. Autopsies later confirmed that Katherine Lavoie died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. Mark Lavoie also died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a suicide.
In the hours leading up to the tragic event, Mark Lavoie had taken to social media, posting a lengthy and emotional message on Facebook that offered a glimpse into his state of mind. He wrote that the act would be officially ruled a murder-suicide, but he considered it a "double suicide." He explained that his wife had been battling mental illness for a long time and was on life support, a fate she had always feared more than her illness itself. His sister, Dorcas Lavoie, later told reporters that her brother had shot his wife "out of love," a sentiment that underscored the complex and tragic nature of the situation.
Katherine, a graduate of Dover High School and the University of New Hampshire, worked in the medical records department at a rehabilitation center. She was remembered as a loving mother to her two daughters. The joint obituary for the couple requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a poignant final acknowledgment of the struggles that had led to such a devastating conclusion. The investigation concluded that Mark Lavoie was the sole perpetrator, and no other suspects were sought in connection with Katherine's death.
