In the early afternoon of a cold Monday in March 2009, a security guard at the Hammond Marina in Indiana approached a black Hummer H2 parked on the boat ramp. The guard informed the occupants, 55-year-old Pamela Payne-Bennett and 39-year-old Calvin Douchee, that they were not permitted to park there. Douchee, who was in the driver's seat, replied, 'It will just take a minute.' Shortly after this brief exchange, a series of gunshots echoed across the waterfront.
What happened next was a chaotic and tragic scene. Payne-Bennett either fell or was pushed out of the luxury SUV as it began to roll down the ramp and into the frigid waters of the marina. The heavy vehicle quickly submerged, taking Douchee with it. Emergency crews were called to the scene, and divers were sent into the murky water to retrieve the Hummer. Inside, they found Douchee's body slumped in the driver's seat.
An investigation into the incident revealed a grim sequence of events. The Lake County Coroner's Office determined that Pamela Payne-Bennett had been shot multiple times in the torso. Her death was ruled a homicide. Calvin Douchee was found to have two gunshot wounds to his chest, and his death was ruled a suicide. Authorities later found a revolver inside the submerged vehicle.
Police described the relationship between Payne-Bennett, who was from Florida, and Douchee, from Mississippi, as a 'long-term friendship.' Both had family in the Chicago area. The investigation concluded that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide orchestrated by Douchee. As the suspect in Payne-Bennett's murder died at the scene, no arrests were made in the case.
