Notes, audiotapes discovered after mother shoots son, self at Central Florida firing range
April 7, 9:28 PM
Marie Moore, the 44-year-old Central Florida mother who fatally shot her 20-year-old son before turning the gun on herself at a Casselberry shooting range, apparently planned the crime in advance.
Family members have recovered three notes and three hours' worth of audiotapes that Moore, who had a history of mental illness, left behind.
In the messages, she claims God commanded her to kill her son in order to "send him to Heaven." Moore also stated, "I have to die and go to Hell so there can be a thousand years peace on Earth."
Witnesses at the Shoot Straight Range were stunned by the shooting, which occurred within a few feet of other patrons engaged in firing practice.
They eerily recounted that mother and son didn't appear to be arguing or upset prior to the shooting. The two had been sharing a single firing lane and taking turns shooting targets when Marie Moore suddenly stepped behind her son and fired a single shot at the back of his head before shooting herself.
Mitchell died at the shooting range, and Marie died shortly afterward at a local hospital. The notes and audiotapes, which have not yet been released to the public, depict a woman resigned to her fate, according to Casselberry police.
Addressing the intended recipient, her boyfriend, simply as "King," and repeatedly referring to herself as "Failed Queen," Moore explained that she had prepared for her death by transferring the title to her truck and leaving the keys in it. She also left behind $7,900 cash and a check, apologizing that she couldn't leave more.
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