Couple, dog found shot

Deaths described as a murder-suicide

A man and woman were found fatally shot, along with a dog, inside a Deerfield Beach townhouse, the Broward Sheriff ’s Office said.

Deputies making a wellness check discovered the pair Monday at about 11 a.m. in the home in the 2200 block of Deer Creek Alba Way, in The Lakes of Deer Creek development, north of Hillsboro Boulevard.

The deaths, described as a murder-suicide, left neighbors saddened and bewildered. Detectives are not releasing the names of the dead until their relatives are notified.

They were often seen with the family pet, a small red dog named “Foxie.”

David Tanzer said he last spoke with the man on Friday night, who told him he was finally feeling well after abdominal surgery he’d had three years ago.

“When he walked Foxie he’d stop and talk,” Tanzer said. “It’s a shame. They were very nice, wonderful people. She would come and sit with my sister and I.”

The woman, who neigh-

bors said worked at a law firm, was known for her love of dogs and for her kind gestures, they said.

The woman had sent a Valentine’s Day card to Tanzer’s mother, who then called to thank her. When Tanzer’s mother died, the woman shared his mother’s voicemail with him.

“It’s the only recording my sisters and I have of my mother’s voice,” Tanzer said. “It meant so much to us. And that’s how thoughtful she was.”

Pat McGonigal said the woman loved dogs and was “always up, happy, and would call, ‘Good Morning!’”

She also helped McGonigal when she had a knee injury.

“She grabbed my dog and walked him and brought me a brace for my knee,” McGonigal said of a day she was struggling to walk her poodle mix, Buddy. “[She] didn’t deserve it. She was a

“When he walked Foxie he’d stop and talk. It’s a shame. They were very nice, wonderful people.” David Tanzer, neighbor

really good person.”

The sheriff’s office has not yet said who may have shot the firearm.

McGonigal said she never liked the man of the house.

“Sometimes he was friendly, sometimes he’d walk across the street to avoid you,” McGonigal said.

Paula Bazzone, a board member for the Deer Creek Improvement Association, pulled up in front of the murder scene Tuesday to commiserate with Tanzer.

A kneeling angel statue marked the entrance to the well-kept townhome; its walkway was decorated with bushes blooming with pink and white blossoms.

“All I can say is she was a great person,” Bazzone said.

ljtrischitta@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4233 or Twitter @LindaTrischitta