Crime

Murder-suicide under investigation in Bellmore

Douglas and Dawn Kelly are dead, police said

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A Bellmore man murdered his wife, then took his own life, after 25 years of marriage, police said last week.

Nassau County police responded to a call at 8:22 p.m. on Feb. 21 from 105 Thomas Place in Bellmore, where a 21-year-old woman — the victims’ daughter — met the officers. When they entered the home, police discovered that the woman’s mother and father had suffered gunshot wounds.

The mother, Dawn Kelly, 50, who was found in the master bedroom with a shotgun wound in her chest, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The father, Douglas Kelly, 54, who was found in the daughter’s bedroom, was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said.

Both are believed to have been killed by the same shotgun, said Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the NCPD Homicide Squad. The incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide.

Dawn Kelly told her daughter to leave the house at about 6:30 p.m. as the couple argued, Fitzpatrick said. After about an hour, the daughter called home, but received no response. She returned to the home, where she had to break in, found her mother shot on the bedroom floor, and called police.

There were no previous incidents of domestic violence reported, but the investigation revealed that the Kellys had a “very tumultuous relationship” that was verbally abusive, Fitzpatrick said. The problems revolved around their financial difficulties, he added. Douglas Kelly was arrested in the early 1980s, Fitzpatrick said, and charged with assault with a weapon and a burglary.

“This particular relationship was off our radar,” however, Fitzpatrick said.

Douglas had been disabled for 20 years, after working as a tile cutter and layer, Fitzpatrick said. His wife was an information technology specialist for an insurance company.

The police are awaiting medical forensic reports to determine whether drugs were involved in the shooting, Fitzpatrick said. The firearm was legally purchased, he said, and investigators are tracking the purchase location.

A GoFundMe drive has been organized to help the Kellys’ daughter in the aftermath of their deaths. The Herald has opted not to identify the daughter, but readers who are interested in donating to the fundraiser can email Editor Erik Hawkins, at ehawkins@liherald-com, for more information.

Fitzpatrick added that there are resources available for anyone experiencing domestic violence.

“We urge anybody who is the victim of domestic violence to reach out to the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence,” he said (see box).