Legal News

Investigators: Grandmother Pulled Trigger in Howrey Associate Slaying

By Ashby Jones

We wrote on Wednesday about the tragic death of former Howrey associate Elizabeth Fontaine, who died on Monday alongside her mother and two daughters. All were victims of gunshots.

The news reports earlier in the week were filled with questions: Who shot whom? To what degree did a custody battle involving Fontaine’s two daughters play a role? Was the girls’ father involved?

In the interest in providing a bit of closure to this gruesome story, we bring you the latest. The Orange County Register is reporting homicide investigators have determined that the grandmother, Bonnie Hoult, 67, fired the gun that killed her daughter and grandchildren. Hoult then turned the gun on herself.

The investigator added, however, that Fontaine, 38, appeared to have been a willing participant in the killings, with both she and her mother choosing the murder/suicide rather than allowing the daughters sisters to be sent temporarily into the custody of a sister of their father.

Fontaine had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Jason. Earlier Monday morning, Fontaine had been ordered to bring her daughters, Catherine, 4, and Julia, 2, back to court for an afternoon session after temporarily ruling that the girls would be handed over to Stephanie McLaren, 35 – Jason Fontaine’s sister.

But Elizabeth Fontaine and Hoult apparently were convinced, as Elizabeth alleged in court documents, that her former husband was molesting the girls, even though Jason Fontaine never had been charged and an Orange County judge had found the accusations groundless. They apparently did not want the girls to be placed in the custody of any of his relatives.

The murders happened at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, reportedly prompted by a visit to the home by a sheriff’s deputy making a welfare check.

For those looking for more information on the situation, we recommend the Register’s article, which is deeply and thoroughly reported, though not altogether an easy read. The picture alone is truly heartbreaking.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on December 17, 2009 (boomark / email).