Police link alcohol to West Jordan murder-suicide

WEST JORDAN — During her 30-year career as a dispatcher for Salt Lake City Police, Michelle Welch was able to save enough money to buy a brand new home in a gated community on the eastern edge of West Jordan.

The 54-year-old woman was known for her tidiness and generosity, neighbors said. She had no children and had never been married.

Early Saturday morning, Welch was shot and killed inside the home she worked so hard to get, according to police. Four hours later, after lengthy negotiations with police, a man inside the house turned a 12-gauge shotgun on himself. Police identified the man as Gary Howard, 43.

Police believe alcohol was involved in the murder-suicide, said West Jordan Police Sgt. Drew Sanders. It occurred near 6800 South and 1000 West.

Welch leaves behind four dogs — a pair of Chinese crested hairless puppies and a pair of fox terriers. Saturday morning, the pups were found traumatized and lost, but still dressed for bed in pink and blue sweaters.

"Her children were her dogs, and her family was her friends," said neighbor Linda Christensen.

Other neighbors described Welch as kind but said she mostly kept to herself.

They knew even less about Howard but said he sometimes did odd jobs and preferred to be paid in alcohol rather than money.

"I thought he might have some violence in him, but I didn't think he would hurt her," said Christensen, who was trained by Welch at work. "She had a tender heart and was a lot of fun. She did not deserve this at all. He took away a good person."

Sanders said Welch and Howard had an "on-again, off-again" romantic relationship.

"This is just one of these horribly tragic things," Sanders said, adding that police had been to the house to investigate domestic violence before Saturday's bloodshed.

e-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com