An argument escalated into double murder and a suicide in Tulare County

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said that a double murder Wednesday night was committed by 48-year-old Anthony Moreno, who shot to death his wife, Denise, 49, and his stepson, Victor Ramirez, 28, in an act of domestic violence that apparently began a day earlier as an argument. The sheriff said it appears Moreno then killed himself with the 9 mm handgun.

The shooting took place in a home full of family members, who fled when gunfire erupted. Deputies rescued Levi, the 4-year-old grandson of Denise Moreno, from a bedroom closet where he hid under blankets as violence erupted. The sheriff said Thursday that Moreno had a history of violence going back to the 1980s, according to records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, including armed robbery and domestic violence.

The homicides took place at a home north of Visalia at Avenue 320 and Road 138. As deputies, including SWAT team members, surrounded the residence, nearby neighbors were asked to take shelter in their homes, said Boudreaux.

A day before the shootings, Boudreaux said deputies were called to the home during an argument between the couple. It was “verbal only,” and no one was arrested.

But Wednesday, dispatchers received a call from a teenage girl at the home who said there was another argument and dispatchers learned that it had “become physical” and a gun was involved. Then shots were fired while family members were inside the home. Arriving deputies were able to see what appeared to be a lifeless body in the garage.

Boudreaux said that as SWAT team members rescued people from the home, they learned that the couple was inside, along with Levi, the child of Ramirez. They also learned the body in the garage was that of Ramirez. Deputies used a robot during a room-to-room search. They found the dead couple in a bedroom.

Boudreaux praised his deputies for their professionalism during the incident, and also compassion for the family.

“We are thankful that the 4-year-old was returned to his mother,” said Boudreaux, who did not identify the boy or his mother by last name.

“Our hearts go out to the family,” he added.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 3:22 PM with the headline "An argument escalated into double murder and a suicide in Tulare County."