In the late summer of 2004, the life of Roschelle Knippel, a 33-year-old White/Caucasian woman, came to a tragic and violent end in her Howard, Wisconsin, home. On the morning of September 4th, an argument escalated between Roschelle and her 52-year-old husband, Gary Dalebroux. The sounds of their dispute were overheard by Roschelle's two sons, who were in the basement at the time.
One of the boys later recalled hearing his mother tell Gary to "knock it off," fearing he would kill them both.
The verbal altercation culminated in an act of fatal violence when Gary shot Roschelle multiple times in their kitchen. Shortly after killing his wife, he turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. The couple's bodies were discovered by Roschelle's sons, who were 12 and 13 years old at the time.
The investigation into the deaths revealed a history of domestic turmoil. Roschelle and Gary had been married for two years, and their relationship was reportedly volatile. In the months leading up to the murder-suicide, there were clear signs of trouble. Roschelle had filed for divorce in March 2003, only to withdraw the petition less than two weeks later. By July 2004, it was Gary who had filed for divorce.
Following the divorce filing, Roschelle moved out of their shared home and into an apartment. Concerned for her safety, she took a handgun belonging to Gary and stored it at her sister's house with the intention of selling it. However, after persistent calls from Gary to have the weapon returned, the couple reconciled. Tragically, they retrieved the gun from her sister's home just ten days before the fatal shooting. Roschelle's family later reported that Gary had been abusive in the past, including an incident in February of that year where he had struck her with enough force to dislodge her earrings. The case was determined to be a murder-suicide, with Gary Dalebroux as the perpetrator, and therefore no further arrests were made.
