Background: News footage of Lavan Bullock in court in September (KLTV). Inset: Kathleen Bullock (Bigham Mortuary).
A Texas man accused of fatally shooting his wife reportedly attempted to take his own life after committing the alleged crime.
Lavan Bullock, 66, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his wife, 62-year-old Kathleen Bullock. The Longview Police Department reported at the time that officers were dispatched to the couple's home on the afternoon of Sept. 22 for a welfare check. When they arrived, they found Kathleen Bullock in a bathroom, dead from a gunshot wound.
According to court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate KLTV, Lavan Bullock allegedly confessed to the murder in a text message, saying he "lost [his] mind" and shot his wife.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Following Lavan Bullock's arrest in September, police said the suspect had been taken to the hospital for "non-life-threatening injuries" before he was booked into the Gregg County Jail, where he is currently in custody. KLTV reported that according to the arrest affidavit, Lavan Bullock texted a friend after he allegedly shot Kathleen Bullock, telling him that he took 30 sleeping pills in an attempt to take his own life.
The affidavit stated that Lavan Bullock told his friend via text, "[I] lost my mind from years of her physical and emotional abuse and shot her." When police spoke to the friend, he told them that Kathleen Bullock had asked her husband for a divorce the month before. Neighbors told police that Lavan Bullock thought his wife might be having an affair.
In the texts to his friend, police said Lavan Bullock instructed him to call a preacher and to make sure the couple's daughter did not enter their home. He reportedly texted, "Thank you my friend! I'm so sorry to end it this way!"
A judge ordered that Lavan Bullock be held on $1 million bond at his arraignment in September. He remains in custody at Gregg County Jail.