Belcher Looked To Be Drunk Before Killings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Investigators believe stress from their relationship, financial problems and alcohol factored into the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide, a Kansas City, Mo., police source said Tuesday.
Belcher, a West Babylon, N.Y., native and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, knelt down, kissed his slain girlfriend on the forehead, and said, “I’m sorry,” police said, referring to an account given by Belcher’s mom, who encountered the couple in the master bedroom Saturday morning after hearing gunshots.
Then, Belcher gave a goodbye kiss to the three-month-old daughter he had with Kasandra Perkins, apologized to his mom, and drove his Bentley to Arrowhead Stadium, where he told Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and other team officials “I killed her” before fatally shooting himself in the head, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman said Tuesday.
The latest revelations about the Saturday morning murder-suicide come as police confirmed the Chiefs provided couples counseling to Belcher, 25, and Perkins, 22. Police said Belcher told Crennel and other team officials “I have to do this” before kneeling behind a vehicle, crossing himself — and firing the shot that ended his life.
On Monday, police investigators said they had talked to witnesses who said Belcher was seen at several bars in the trendy Power and Light District on Friday night, and appeared intoxicated hours before the shootings, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said.
Police found Perkins’ body at 7:52 a.m. at their home, the report said. Officers saw her on the floor of the master bathroom, with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the report.
A paramedic at the murder scene said, in his 911 call, that he was “with an early 20s female. She’s been shot about three or four times, one in the chest, one in the neck and one in the abdomen. All went through.”
BEARS: Linebacker Brian Urlacher and former UNM Lobo has a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and is expected to miss the next three games, and possibly the rest of the regular season, the Chicago Tribune reported.
PATRIOTS: Julian Edelman is out for the season. New England’s dangerous punt returner and elusive wide receiver was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury Tuesday.
REDSKINS: Cornerback Cedric Griffin has been suspended four games without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performanceenhancing substances.
RANKINGS: An NFL version of No. 1 vs. No. 2 is set for Monday night when the Houston Texans visit New England . The Texans remained first in the AP Pro32 power rankings Tuesday; the Patriots inched up two spots into a second-place tie with Atlanta.