A woman who tried to help a man rebuild his life was allegedly shot and killed by him after she asked him to leave her home, according to police.
Albany police say they believe Patrick Burke Jr., 60, fatally shot 65-year-old Patricia Kelley before taking his own life at her residence.
Kelley’s son, Brian Kelley, told CBS6 that the Tuesday, Jan. 27, incident followed a request from his mother that Burke move out because family members were planning to move in.
“He was just a man she was trying to help who didn’t have a place to go. Her big heart is what cost her everything she had,” he said. “But I also know there are other people out there that think, ‘Oh, he would never do that. It’s just words — it was just words until it wasn’t words anymore.’”
Brian Kelley said Burke had been living at the home for the last 10 years.
Police said officers were dispatched to the residence in the 600 block of Myrtle Avenue shortly after 3 p.m. following reports of “two individuals shot inside a residence,” according to an Albany Police Department press release.
Inside, officers found Kelley and Burke with gunshot wounds. Both were treated at the scene and were pronounced dead.
“Through further investigation, it is believed the male suspect fatally shot the female victim before taking his own life,” the release stated, adding that there was no threat to the public because investigators believe it was an isolated incident.
Police said a firearm was recovered at the scene, and detectives are investigating the deaths as a domestic murder-suicide.
“She’s going to be remembered as a hell of a fighter and an amazing mother,” Brian Kelley told CBS6. “She was the heart of the family.”
In a GoFundMe fundraiser shared by the family, Kelley was described as “kind, determined, and fiercely devoted to her family.”
“She deserved so many more years than she was given,” the post read.
