Coppell Mayor Murder-Suicide Sends Shockwaves Throughout The City

Coppell police went to Mayor Jayne Peters' house hoping to find the longtime city official who was uncharacteristically absent from a Tuesday night City Council meeting. Instead, they found a key and typed note on the front door warning about the grim scene inside.

Corinne Peters, the mayor's 19-year-old daughter, was dead on the first floor of the two-story house in the 700 block of Greenway Drive. Jayne Peters, 55, was dead upstairs. Both suffered gunshot wounds to the head.

Police said three other notes were placed sporadically throughout the house. The notes, which were not released Wednesday, gave no clues as to what led to the shootings – only instructions about the care of the family pets. Two dogs were also found in the house.

The Dallas County medical examiner's office on Wednesday ruled Jayne Peters' death a suicide. Corinne Peters' death was ruled a homicide. Coppell police said Jayne Peters shot her daughter.

Teenagers, residents and city officials in the tight-knit suburb struggled to make sense of the apparent murder-suicide. As they did, a picture emerged of a family already crippled by the 2008 death of its patriarch that was facing an only child's imminent departure for college.

"Corinne was concerned for her mom and what was going to happen to her when she went to school," said friend and fellow 2010 Coppell High grad Susan Wentworth. "I think Corinne's mom was kind of afraid to live by herself."

Friends said Corinne Peters was planning to attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall and was supposed to attend a freshman orientation on Wednesday.

Those who knew the women best gave differing accounts of their relationship. Some called it rocky. Others described mother and daughter as extremely close. But just about everyone agreed that the death of Jayne's husband and Corinne's father changed their relationship. Donald Peters died after a bout with cancer more than two years ago.

This is a tragic event that obviously was premeditated, based on the notes left for those that found the crime scene first. This is a wrongful death in its most drastic form, with a mother and daughter being involved in a murder-suicide. My heart goes out to their extended family and friends who are confused right now. It is hard coping with such a sudden and shocking death, and they probably are a little lost trying to figure out what went wrong. I just hope everything can be sorted out to give loved ones some closure from this horrific event.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Wrongful Death Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For more information regarding wrongful death, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.