CLAYTON -- Devinee Maier House called sheriff's deputies four times in the last 12 weeks for help dealing with a husband she was trying to leave before the couple and her teenage son were found dead Tuesday morning in their home near Clayton.
In the early-morning hours, the deteriorating marriage met a violent end. Investigators say William Fulton House, 50, shot his wife and his 15-year-old stepson, Dakota Johnson, before turning the gun on himself.
The couple's three younger children - ages 2, 7 and 8 - were in the Castleberry Road home at the time of the shootings but were unharmed, said Tammy Amaon, spokeswoman for the Johnston County Sheriff's Office. They are in the custody of their grandmother, but Amaon said she did not know where the woman lives.
"It's sad," Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said. "It just shows domestic [situations] can be deadly."
Bizzell said deputies who respond to domestic calls often refer victims to a domestic-violence shelter or refer couples to counseling. But he did not know whether his deputies ever referred William and Devinee House to a counselor during the four calls they answered at the couple's home.
Bizzell also said he did not know whether either had filed for a protective order against the other. Amaon said there were no signs of violence between husband and wife in the four visits deputies made to their home before Tuesday.
Domestic-violence advocates said they were not surprised that the marital discord escalated to violence if Devinee House, 42, had recently tried to leave her husband.
"This is very common. The time of separation can be the most dangerous for a victim," said Beth Froehling, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "Most homicides occur during separation or attempted separation."
Laura Hilton, director of community outreach and education with Interact, the Raleigh-based domestic violence center, said victims are 75 percent more at risk of being injured or killed when they try to leave the marital home.
Both Froehling and Hilton said law officers investigating a domestic violence case often carry cards that have contact information for domestic-violence agencies that provide victims with resources, safety and help filing a restraining order.
"It's the most important piece of information to give the victim so that they will know that resources are available in the community," Froehling said.
Call came at 7:54 a.m.
When the 911 call came in at 7:54 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's deputies were already familiar with the brick house at 640 Castleberry Road.
At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Devinee House called 911 and said her husband barred her from taking the children from the home, Amaon said. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they found that she and the children had already left. William House, known as "Billy," told the deputies that everything was fine, Amaon said.
On June 17 at 4:30 p.m., Devinee House called 911 and told a dispatcher that her husband had changed the locks on the doors of the home.
On April 29, she called 911 to report that her husband was harassing her, Amaon said. When sheriff's deputies arrived, William House agreed to leave for the evening, Amaon said.
And on April 20, just after 5 p.m., Devinee House called 911 and reported that her husband was causing problems, Amaon said. William and Devinee House each agreed to find another place to stay for the evening, Amaon said.
There was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved in any of the incidents, Amaon said.
A neighbor said he overheard arguments between the couple. Danny Davis, 35, who lives next to the House home, said he began to hear William and Devinee House argue around Christmas. About a month ago, William House moved into an apartment he made in one of several out-buildings on the property, Davis said.
Davis said he heard gunshots early Tuesday morning, but he didn't call 911 because he didn't want to get involved.
"When I saw the yellow tape, I knew," Davis said. "I didn't know who, but I knew."
Worked as inspector
Neighbors say William House, who worked for thecity of Raleigh's inspections department, where he made sure heating and air conditioning units installed throughout the city met local and state codes, enjoyed carpentry and had built up his property over the years.
William House purchased the home in 1996, according to Johnston County property tax records. In the back of the brick house, he put up four out-buildings, and another was under construction. A chain-link fence surrounds the main house and the backyard, which contains an elaborate playground set. Another fence circles the whole property.
"He just loved to build stuff," Davis said. "He built everything over there."
Tuesday's shooting was the second deadly domestic-violence case in Johnston County this month. Authorities say that Aldolfo Reyes Maldonado shot and killed his wife, Elizabeth Holmes Reyes, and injured her stepfather on July 1 in the Brogden community.
Maldonado was wounded by pellets from his own shotgun, authorities said.
Bizzell said he wishes William and Devinee House had separated so maybe their marriage wouldn't have come to a deadly end. While law enforcement officials often offer resources, he said, the people involved have to act on that offer.
"We've got some personal responsibility, too," Bizzell said.
News researcher Peggy Neal contributed to this report.
