Plano family's last night didn't portend violence

[TexasStooge]

By JENNIFER EMILYand TIM WYATT / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO, Texas – Hours before Jennifer Woolverton and her father were shot and killed, the 19-year-old watched Pearl Harbor with friends, played with her dogs and slipped into pajamas.

It was a regular night.

"Jenny was acting normal," said friend Dusty Murphy, who said he spent Sunday evening hanging out with her and his girlfriend, Erika Boyer, in Jennifer's bedroom.

Mr. Murphy and Ms. Boyer left the Woolverton home early Monday, not long after midnight, after Deborah "Luann" Woolverton called her daughter's private phone line from another room in the house and said the friends should leave.

"Her mom called back there at about five minutes after 12 and asked when we were leaving. She said, 'In about five minutes, Mom,' " Mr. Murphy said. "We didn't think anything about it. We just thought that her Mom just wanted her to get a good night's sleep because she had exams Monday."

Around 8:30 a.m. Monday, police found the bodies of Jennifer Woolverton, her father, James "Jim" Woolverton, 56, and Mrs. Woolverton, 47, in separate bedrooms in the home. All three died from gunshot wounds. Police say Mrs. Woolverton, a Plano science teacher, committed suicide after shooting her husband and daughter. A gun was found near her body.

As of late Tuesday, a copy of the 911 tape requesting that police check on the Woolverton family had not been released. A worker in the city's Public Safety Communications division, where 911 calls are taken and recorded, said officials there were waiting for police approval to release a copy of the call.

Plano police would not confirm reports that a suicide note was left in the Woolverton home, or accounts detailing the order in which the two victims were killed.

Officer Carl Duke said no new details of the investigation would be disclosed until after a medical examiner's report is completed. The Collin County medical examiner, Dr. William Rohr, did not return phone calls Tuesday.

Officers went to the home Monday when a co-worker called police and said one of the parents did not show up for work. Police would not elaborate.

No foreshadowing

Mr. Murphy and Ms. Boyer, both 19, spent several hours at the Woolverton home. Mr. Murphy's sister, Amanda Murphy, 21, said she spent the afternoon with Jenny Woolverton and the two had dinner together.
None of them noticed anything wrong. They said Jenny did not appear upset or say anything that would foreshadow any violence.

Ms. Boyer considered spending the night at the Woolvertons' home and Jenny thought about going to Ms. Boyer's house, Mr. Murphy said.

Despite the "normal" demeanor that night, friends say, the parents were talking about divorce and had recently clashed over high credit card bills. Collin County has no records to indicate bankruptcy. There is also no record of the couple filing for divorce.

Ms. Murphy said her friend was closer to her father than to her mother.

"Jenny spoke really highly of her dad. They were really close," Ms. Murphy said. "He was a good guy, supportive of what she did."

The Woolvertons attended the Reformed Church in Plano, where the couple taught an adult Sunday School class, according to the church newsletter. The pastor did not return phone calls.

Teacher of the year


Mrs. Woolverton taught at the Special Programs Center, an alternative high school, in the Plano school district. She was named the school's teacher of the year in 2003. Those who worked with Mrs. Woolverton declined to comment this week and referred questions to the Plano Independent School District's public information office.
Mr. Woolverton marketed real estate from failed banks for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in downtown Dallas. He had worked for the FDIC since 1987.

David Barr, a spokesman for the FDIC in Washington, D.C., said Mr. Woolverton was well-liked in the Dallas regional offices.

"We're all saddened by the news of this tragedy," Mr. Barr said. "His presence will be missed in the Dallas office."

Jenny Woolverton attended Plano Senior High School and later attended the Special Programs Center, where her mother worked.

She enrolled in classes this semester at the Spring Creek campus of Collin County Community College.

Ms. Murphy said Jenny was always quick to smile and tell a joke.

"She had a big heart. There's no words to describe her. She's just Jenny," Ms. Murphy said. "She was innocent. She really was. Her and her father both. It's a tragic loss."