A Texas woman who survived her husband’s murder-suicide attempt is defending her late spouse.
Rachel Butler, 26, said she forgives her husband, Jason Butler, after he shot her early Sunday before killing himself at their Montgomery County home, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“I am doing my best to separate the man he was Saturday night from the man I married,” Butler told the paper through a family spokesperson. “I know that’s not the same person. The main thing right now is my kids.”
Montgomery County sheriff’s officials said the couple started arguing in the car Sunday on the way home from a high school reunion.
The fight escalated when they arrived home and the 39-year-old man pulled a firearm from his truck, authorities said. He allegedly shot her in the chest before fatally turning the gun on himself in the couple’s driveway.
The 26-year-old mom called 911 and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
She was discharged Monday from the intensive care unit at Conroe Regional Medical Center, the Chronicle reported.
Neighbors told authorities the family moved into the house less than two weeks ago, according to news station KHOU.
Following the deadly shooting, Butler acknowledged there was trouble in the marriage, according to the Chronicle. She said they sought counseling before she filed for divorce last month, citing a “discord or conflict of personalities.”
The couple, who shared two small kids, got married in May 2014. Neither of the children, ages 4 and 6, were reportedly home during the incident.
“God needed one of us here for our two precious babies,” Butler told the Courier via Facebook message. “I am very sorry that everything ended this way.”