DIAMOND POINT — A 15-hour murder investigation came to a violent end early Thursday when a Diamond Point man sought in the shooting death of his estranged wife and wounding of her boyfriend committed suicide in front of several sheriff’s deputies.
Clallam County Sheriff Joe Martin said Rockie L. Staneart, 46, shot himself in the head just after 1 a.m. Thursday as deputies from Clallam and Jefferson counties converged on his Sunshine Drive home just inside Jefferson County.
Before shooting himself, Staneart apparently uttered a statement Martin said amounted to a confession to the slaying Wednesday morning of his wife, 35-year-old Noelle K. Staneart, at her business in Sequim.
Staneart also allegedly shot Noelle Staneart’s boyfriend and business partner, 29-year-old Shane Loomis.
Loomis sustained wounds to the chest and neck, Martin said.
He was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent two surgeries and was listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The Stanearts were in the midst of a divorce.
Martin said a preliminary investigation showed no domestic violence-related 9-1-1 calls to the Carlsborg home the couple shared until last year.