Mother Killed In North Charlotte Murder-Suicide

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A man and a woman were found dead inside a Charlotte home after a murder-suicide, police said.

IMAGES: Mother Killed In North Charlotte Murder-Suicide

Rebecca Robertson, 31, and Barry Leake, 39, were found dead just after 1 a.m. Sunday in a home on Anna Garrison Road, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said. Leake shot Robertson before killing himself, investigators said.

VIDEO: Mother Of Murder-Suicide Victim: God Bless Both Of Them

Six children were inside the home when the shootings happened, according to police. Three of the children -- an 11-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 1-year-old -- were Robertson's, police said, and the other three belong to Robertson's sister, who was also inside the home.

"We just got the kids out of the house because we didn't know -- all we heard was them screaming and hollering," said neighbor Lethia Thomas.

Leake is the 11-year-old's father, according to Leake's brother, Tony.

Tony Leake said he and his family never saw this turn of events coming.

VIDEO: Families Grieve Couple After Murder-Suicide

"If I could say anything to him, I'd say, ‘Brother, what drove you to this, because this is not you,'" Tony Leake said.

Police had been called to the home on Sept. 22 regarding a domestic violence incident. When officers followed up with Robertson, she said she had moved out of the home and wasn't planning to press charges.

Tony Leake said he had talked to his brother about the fight the couple had on the night the assault charges were filed, and had tried to help him find positive ways to work through relationship issues. He added that Barry left the conversation seeming encouraged.

"He didn't want the relationship to end. That's what had him tore up so bad. He wanted to make things work," Tony Leake said.

Clarina Williams, Robertson's mother, said the couple had broken up but had been back together for more than a year and were engaged.

"It happened (and) I don't know why," Williams said. "I loved Barry so much. It's like grieving two kids instead of one," she said.

Robertson's children are now staying with relatives.

In response to the murder-suicide, Charlotte's Domestic Violence Advocacy Council is holding a domestic violence awareness march in uptown Charlotte on Thursday afternoon. It starts at 12:15 p.m. on the corner of Trade and Tryon streets.

WSOC