Questions surround Falls murder-suicide

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - Many questions of what led to a deadly night on 29th Street may remain unanswered.

"Since both of the parties involved cannot answer questions, it's pretty much just backtracking," said Lt. Michael Trane of the Niagara Falls Police.

Niagara Falls Police say 37-year-old Peter Daniels lived across the street from his on again, off again girlfriend, 31-year-old Elizabeth Wilson.

Daniels had been living with his parents and Wilson was trying to sell her house. Police say Daniels' mother was concerned when she saw him briefly Monday night.

"When she saw him at the house for just a few moments, he had blood on him she said and then he went back to Elizabeth's house and that's when, within moments, she heard a gunshot," said Lt. Trane.

Family members went to the house and found the bodies of the couple in the dining room. Police believe Daniels strangled Wilson, killing her, then slit her throat. After returning to her house, he then shot himself with a pistol-grip shotgun.

"It was a pretty graphic scene considering the type of injuries," Lt. Trane said.

Daniels was a competitive bodybuilder and according to an article in the Niagara Gazette, he has won several awards. He was also in the Army Reserves. Police could share little about Wilson, other than she was originally from Bath in Steuben County.

Police say they have no reports of domestic incidents involving the two, but friends and family of Wilson tell police a different story.

"They had some domestic issues that she was either fearful or afraid of him for some reason or another," said Lt. Trane. "We want to get as much information as we can as to why if we can even find the answers."

Niagara Falls Police say Daniels had three previous arrests. The last one was ten years ago. None of the arrests were violent, so there was no indication from the police that something like this would happen.