A Sheriffs department patrol car is parked on the exit ramp of exit 155 of I-79 in Morgantown, W.V., Monday, Dec. 1, 2014, after three separate shootings left four people dead on Monday.
This undated photo provided by the West Virginia State Police shows Jody Hunt, who authorities said is a suspect in three shootings in West Virginia.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A West Virginia man suspected in four killings in separate shootings has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an hourslong manhunt, police said Monday.
Jody Lee Hunt, 39, of Westover was found in the woods in the southern part of Monongalia County, state police spokesman Lt. Dennis Johnson said.
Hunt’s body was found in “a power line right of way” around 7 p.m., Johnson said.
Earlier, state police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous said Hunt was wanted in two shootings in the Westover area and the other the same day in the Cheat Lake area in Monongalia County.
He identified the two victims from the Cheat Lake shooting as Sharon Kay Berkshire, 39, of Westover, and Michael David Frum, 28, of Maidsville. Baylous had no details on the Westover shootings, saying other law enforcement agencies were handling them. The Monongalia County sheriff’s office released no information by Monday evening.
According to Monongalia County Circuit Court records, Berkshire filed a domestic violence case against Hunt last month. Court records also indicated there were no protective orders currently in place for Berkshire.
Arlene Barnett of Westover said she was drinking coffee at her home when she heard four gunshots shortly after 10 a.m. at a nearby trailer where one of the victims lived.
“I didn’t pay any attention to it because I thought, oh heck, it’s deer season,” Barnett said. “I thought they were deer hunting. I just went about my business and didn’t connect anything. Then I heard the sirens.”
Frum’s aunt, Ellen Shafer, of the Cheat Lake area, said she knew few details about her nephew’s death. She said Frum worked on detailing cars in Westover and did some construction work and other odd jobs.
“We were just saddened, and we’re living with the realization of his death and coping the best we can,” Shafer said.
State documents indicate Hunt owned J&J Towing and Repair LLC of Westover. A call to the business went unanswered Monday afternoon, and there was little activity there Monday.