5/21/03 6:17 AM Inches: 6.8 REGULAR BC-NV-FourDead 05-21 0287

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) -- The fourth victim of an apparent murder-suicide near Mebane this week was a man asked by a victim to stay with her because she was worried about her husband.

David Edwards Cooley, 49, was fatally shot by Roderick Morris Farb, the Orange County Sheriff's office said Tuesday.

Farb, 56, was found dead along with his estranged wife, Erin Elizabeth Farb, 43, and her daughter, Ashley Thomas, 9, in Erin Farb's home.

Sheriff A. Lindy Pendergrass said Monday that Roderick Farb apparently shot his wife and the other people, then himself.

Authorities said Cooley, a longtime friend of Erin Farb, moved to Hillsborough earlier this month and worked at a Chapel Hill car dealership, Sheriff's Capt. Bobby Collins said.

Cooley was believed to have lived in Gardnerville, Nev., before moving to North Carolina.

Orange County deputies responded to complaints Monday about shots fired shortly after 7 a.m. They saw what appeared to be bullet holes in the windows of the house, authorities said.

The deputies couldn't reach anyone inside and didn't see any signs of movement. Authorities said they forced their way inside and found the four bodies.

Erin Farb had been separated from her husband and planned to seek a restraining order on him the day of the shootings, said her friend and part-time employer Jerry Webster.

Webster said Erin Farb had told him that her husband kept coming to her home to argue and once grabbed her arm hard enough leave bruises. The day before the shootings, Erin Farb asked Cooley to stay at the house.

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment