Jul 16, 2008 11:59 pm US/Eastern
Husband & Wife Found Shot To Death In Home
Brooklyn Community Of Marine Park In Shock Following Killings Of Divorce Attorneys; No Arrests Made
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A Brooklyn couple, remembered throughout their community as respected divorce attorneys, were found shot to death in the bedroom of their own home on Wednesday.
The victims each suffered gunshot wounds to the head, police said, in what appears to be a double-homicide.
There was no sign of a break-in and no weapon found at the house located on 1961 E. 33rd St. in the Marine Park section of the borough, but police said there were multiple shots fired from a 9-millimeter inside the home. On Wednesday night crime scene investigators scoured the home for evidence of who killed Mark Schwartz, 50, and his wife, Maria-Christina Petrowski-Schwartz, 48.
Neighbors were shocked to learn of the murders.
"Just friendly people, I mean like everyone else in the neighborhood," Ellee Hayon said. "It's a quiet neighborhood, so it's a shock."
Added neighbor Charles D'Angelo: "(The housekeeper) started saying 'They're both dead. They're both dead."
The Schwartz's housekeeper and her son discovered the victims around noon Wednesday and called 9-1-1. The couple was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they may have been killed hours earlier.
On Wednesday night detectives spoke with the couple's son, who lives in the home. CBS 2 HD cameras caught the son and his sister in an embrace.
"They're animals whoever did it," law firm employee Rosalie Vulpis said. "They are our family."
At the Schwarz's law firm on Quentin Avenue, CBS 2 HD obtained exclusive pictures as investigators retrieved files. Those who worked with then everyday say they grew concerned when they hadn't heard from them.
"She never called in... Never, never," Vulpis said. "And then all of a sudden the housekeeper's son called me on the phone screaming, 'Chris and Mark are dead!'"
Sources told CBS 2 HD the medical examiner will examine body temperatures to determine the exact time of death. Some neighbors told CBS 2 HD they heard gunshots at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
The couple had a guard dog, but apparently the dog never barked, leaving some question as to whether the victims may have known their killer.
Please stay with CBS 2 HD and wcbstv.com for more on this developing story.
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