Dash Cam Caught Her Trooper Ex Lurking — Now She, Her Boyfriend and the Ex Are All Dead in a Murder-Suicide
A New Jersey state trooper shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend before turning the gun on himself.
The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office says Ricardo Santos, a New Jersey State Police lieutenant, fatally shot Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb in Franklin Township, N.J., on Aug. 1, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Santos was found dead in Piscataway in a 2008 Mercedes SUV, prosecutors say.
Investigators say they learned Santos had been in a relationship with Semanchik, which ended in September 2024, and that after it concluded he "engaged in continued harassing and controlling behavior."
Semanchik, a veterinarian, and Webb had recently begun dating at the time of their deaths, according to the prosecutor's office.Authorities reviewed surveillance video taken from Semanchik's car, which showed her being followed on Aug. 1 by the same Mercedes SUV in which Santos was later found dead.
Minutes after Semanchik parked her car at her home, a figure was seen on camera walking in a wooded area along the driveway, prosecutors say. Thirty minutes later, Webb's car arrived at the home an parked next to Semanchik's.
On Aug. 2, police were called to Semanchik's home after a report of an unconscious woman. Officials later learned that the evening before, the sound of gunshots and screaming was reported by multiple 911 callers, but responding police could not locate the source.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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