Man Kills Wife, Sets Home On Fire Before Shooting Himself In Apparent Murder-Suicide In Berks County, Police Say

OLEY, Pa. (CBS) – Police in Berks County say a wheelchair-bound man killed his wife, and set their house on fire before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide. It happened at a home on Creeks Edge Road in Oley, early Tuesday morning. The couple has been identified as 62-year-old Stefan Strunk, and his wife, 62-year-old Joy Strunk.

The couple were high school sweethearts who met when they were 19.

Video from Drone Watch 3 shows the inside of the home gutted from the raging fire.

Firefighters were called to the home just after 3 a.m. as crews initially responded to smoke in the area.

A firefighter arrived and found Stefan Strunk sitting outside the home. Strunk told the firefighter that his wife's body was on the driveway so the firefighter went to check on her.

That's when a gunshot went off and Strunk killed himself.

Central Berks Regional Police Department Chief Ray Serafin says the firefighter was unaware the man was armed.

"When he pulled up alongside the road, he asked him where the body was because that was our concern that maybe she was just injured. That is what the firefighter thought," Serafin said. "He pulled into another driveway, got out, saw the body and confirmed it was deceased. When doing so, he heard the pop of another gun and saw the gentleman fall over."

Police say Strunk used a propane blow torch to start the fire. It's not known if the wife was killed before the fire started.

"There was two weapons. Next to each body there was a revolver. The one next to Mrs. Strunk was fired four times. The one next to Mr. Strunk was fired once," Sgt. Deron Manndel said. "We believe that based on the evidence on the scene that her gunshot wound was not self-inflicted, so the one with four gunshots next to her body was the one used there and placed there."

Manndel says there's been a series of domestic issues involving the couple and that friends urged Joy Strunk to leave her marriage.

"According to co-workers, family, people close to the couple, it sounds like there was issues in the marriage," Manndel said.

Police say a moving pod may suggest Joy Strunk was going to leave her husband, but it appears he wasn't going to let that happen.

Police say they're not sure they will ever figure out what led up to Stefan Strunk to plan the murder-suicide and arson. The only message left on a suicide note left by Strunk was for other family to take care of a pet.

An investigation is ongoing.

Crystal Cranmore and Matt Petrillo contributed to this report.