Man tied to kidnap
Murder-suicide suspect faced court appearance
A man suspected of fatally shooting his wife outside her East Memphis workplace on Tuesday, then killing himself, was facing attempted rape and kidnapping charges involving a teenage girl.
Officials confirmed the identities of the husband and wife as Thomas O. Rowberry, 51, and Laura Deborah Rowberry, 43.
The shooting, apparently an act of domestic violence, took place shortly before 7 a.m. in a parking lot outside Servicemaster offices at 889 Ridge Lake Blvd., Memphis police spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph said.
“It is a tragedy,” Servicemaster spokesman Peter Tosches said, also confirming that the woman killed was a Servicemaster employee.
According to court records, Thomas Rowberry was charged in August 2010 with aggravated kidnapping and attempted rape.
He was indicted last November on the same charges. Rowberry’s next appearance in Criminal Court was scheduled for next Tuesday.
Marvin Ballin, a Memphis attorney representing Rowberry, said that the couple initially stayed together after he was charged, but later separated.
“She called or came by and told me that they had separated, but there was hope for them getting back together,” Ballin said. “I really can’t tell you much other than that they seemed like a very nice couple.”
According to a court affidavit filed by police, a mother reported that on Aug. 20, 2010, her then-15-year- old daughter was kidnapped and taken to the detached garage of a house in the 3100 block of Lynchburg.
County records show that the Rowberrys purchased a home 10 years ago at 3125 Lynchburg in Raleigh.
According to the affidavit, the girl was handcuffed, chained to a metal rack and blindfolded in the 100-plus degree heat of the garage.
Thomas Rowberry was accused of attempting to rape the girl there.
Released from jail on $50,000 bond, Rowberry hired Ballin and was fighting the criminal charges.
Tosches said grief counselors were made available at Servicemaster, and that the woman’s coworkers were allowed to go home for the day.
“Right now we’re focusing on supporting the associate’s family, her coworkers and all of our ServiceMaster associates,” Tosches said in a statement.
The apparent murder-suicide was only the latest example of domestic violence following a victim into a workplace.
In October 2010, a woman working for Williams-sonoma in Olive Branch survived after her husband ambushed her in the parking lot of a distribution facility in front of coworkers. He then killed himself with a rif le. — Kevin Mckenzie:
(901) 529-2348
S taff reporter Jody Callahan contributed to this story.