On the evening of May 20, 2020, in Goodyear, Arizona, the life of 59-year-old Deborah L. Powers, a White/Caucasian female, was tragically cut short in what authorities would later describe as a double murder-suicide. The incident unfolded at a home near Sarival Avenue and Yuma Road, where police responded to a medical call and discovered a grim scene.
Inside the residence, officers found Deborah Powers deceased.
They also located her husband, 57-year-old Leonard Payne, who was dead from a gunshot wound. Deborah's 29-year-old son and Payne's stepson, Matthew Oliver, was found in critical condition and was rushed to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators believe the tragedy was a result of a domestic violence incident. It is suspected that Leonard Payne shot and killed his wife, Deborah, and his stepson, Matthew, before turning the gun on himself. As the sole suspect in the double homicide, Payne's death concluded the investigation, leaving behind a community to mourn the devastating loss of three lives.
