On a spring Sunday in Hammond, Indiana, the life of 47-year-old Rosemary Comanse, a Hispanic female, was tragically cut short. On May 15, 2011, police were called to a residence in the 1100 block of West 177th Place where they discovered Rosemary's body in an upstairs bedroom. An autopsy would later reveal that she had died from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, fired at close range.
At the time of her death, Rosemary had been separated from her husband, 48-year-old James
Comanse, for about a year. Despite the separation, James was visiting the home on that fateful day. Witnesses reported that he went upstairs and, about five minutes later, a loud boom was heard. In the moments that followed, it was alleged that James also struck another family member in the head with the gun before the weapon was taken from him.
The investigation into Rosemary's death quickly focused on her estranged husband. Lake County prosecutors formally charged James Comanse with murder and battery in connection with his wife's shooting. The charges brought the beginnings of a legal process, though the final resolution of the case against him is not detailed in the available information. The tragic event left behind Rosemary's four children and five grandchildren to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of their beloved mother and grandmother.
