This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A retired Texas couple living in Adamsville, Beaver County, are victims of a murder-suicide Saturday evening, according to the Beaver County sheriff.
A 76-year-old man identified as Tom Nickells called the sheriff's dispatch about 6:30 p.m. Saturday and said he had killed his wife, Sandra Nickells, 73.
He said he shot her because she was suffering from Alzheimer's and other health issues, according to a Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel.
The couple had lived in Beaver County for about 25 years, the sheriff said. Tom Nickells was a retired journalist from Odessa, Texas.
Nickells reportedly told the dispatcher he would be dead by the time officers arrived.
According to Noel, officers found Nickells outside the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and his wife shot.