Two men died from gunshot wounds early Sunday morning in what authorities are calling a domestic- and alcohol-related murder-suicide.
     Red Willow County Attorney Mike Freeman said Lionel Paul Weber, 35, Stratton, shot himself in the right temple inside his pickup at 807 West K shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday.
     Police later discovered the body of Richard John Modrell, 44, who had been shot in the right eye and center of his chest, at his home at 605 East G.
     Freeman said at approximately 2:05 am Sunday, a McCook police officer was told by a family member that Weber had just shot himself.
Weber was discovered with a .357-caliber Ruger Blackhawk pistol in his hand.
     Mrs. Weber's father, Donald Harrison of Thayer, MO., was visiting his daughter and contacted the police about the shooting.
     Weber had been inside the home at 807 West K, and told Harrison that "he had just killed John." When encouraged to go to the police, he stated, "it's too late," walked out of the house and a shot was heard.
     A divorce was granted to the couple Tuesday in Red Willow County District Court.
     At about 2:15 a.m. the McCook Police department was contacted by the Hitchcock County Sherrif's Department who had received a call from someone stating that sometime between 11:00 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday, Weber had left his Stratton home. Earlier in the evening, he reportedly had loaded his weapons and threated physical harm to Mrs. Weber and Modrell.
     Police responded to 605 East G, broke a window to gain entrance and discovered Modrell's body. An autopsy was ordered by the Red Willow County Attorney's Office to confirm the path which the bullet took and recover one projectile from the body. Freeman said the autopsy has been completed.
     In news release today, Freeman said a note was left at Weber's residence which was intended to act as a will. In addition, statements have been taken which confirm that Weber had said that his life and others might end in violence.
     "This situation appears a domestic-related incident which when combined with alcohol and guns caused the unfortunate loss of lives and future hardships for their surviving family members," Freeman said.
     The county attorney said the investigation will continue to confirm the exact nature of the actions of the individuals involved, but all information so far tends to indicate the incident was a murder-suicide. "The McCook Police Department has done an excellent job in this case," Freeman said. He said Officer Kirk Bodeman did most of the investigation.
     Freeman said both men had been drinking and tests will be run to determine the amount of alcohol in their blood. The county attorney said the pickup at 807 Wesk K was a horror scene which some vandals almost witnessed first hand. Freeman said as one officer was awaiting the arrival of investigators, he saw some subjects looting vehicles along the street, but was able to keep them from getting near the truck.
     The remaining investigative work will concentrate on determining positively if the projectiles came from the same weapon, identifying fingerprints or clearing up other details, he said.