A mysterious note was found in the pocket of a grandmother who executed her son’s ex-wife as she carried her baby into a car before turning the gun on herself.
Kathleen Leigh, 65, fatally shot her former daughter-in-law Marisa Galloway, 45, in New York City amid a bitter custody dispute, police said.
Galloway was placing one of her 1-year-old daughters into her vehicle during a custody exchange when Leigh shot her in the head and back before taking her own life.
It has now emerged that Leigh, who was terminally ill, was carrying a note reading “To the police”. The New York Post reports.
The content of the note was not immediately clarified.
A mysterious note was found in the pocket of a grandmother who executed her son’s ex-wife, Marisa Galloway (pictured), as she loaded her baby into a car before turning the gun on herself.
Galloway has been fighting for custody of her four-year-old son with Leigh’s son, the boy’s father, since 2021. The one-year-old has a different father.
The late mother had a history of domestic violence disputes with her partner related to the custody battle, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Five reports and two complaints were filed with the NYPD between July 2021 and November, but no arrests were made.
Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene. Galloway was rushed to hospital where life-saving efforts were made but she eventually succumbed to her injuries.
Two guns were recovered from the crime scene: a 9mm handgun found on the sidewalk and another handgun found in the purse Leigh was carrying. Police are trying to confirm whether or not Leigh had possessed the firearms during her time as a probation officer.
His family have since paid tribute to Galloway, saying his “kindness, generosity and love were unparalleled”.
‘She dedicated her entire life to her two beautiful daughters, Lili and Mariel… they were her world,’ a statement in a GoFundMe State.
Galloway, 45 (pictured), was carrying her one-year-old son in a car seat in the back of a parked car when she was shot in the head by her former mother-in-law, Kathleen Leigh, 65. She then shot herself in the head.
Galloway has been fighting for custody of her four-year-old son with Kathleen’s son, the child’s father, since 2021. The one-year-old does not belong to Leigh’s son.
“Marisa’s premature death will leave a void in all of our lives. But her memory will live on in her daughters and in all of our hearts.”
Police were called to the apartment, located steps from Mayor Adams’ residence, Gracie Mansion, in Yorkville, a neighborhood that has a reputation for being generally safe and quiet, shortly before 9 a.m.
The 911 caller reported hearing three gunshots and then looking out the window to see two women lying on the floor in a pool of their own blood.
First responders said Galloway was still breathing when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Leigh was a retired parole officer from Chicago, and had moved with her son into her Upper East Side apartment three years ago.
Sources told the The New York Post that Leigh had terminal cancer and had been receiving treatment while living with her son in the doorman building.
Residents are aware of the ongoing dispute between Galloway and Leigh.
“She always talked about the fact that she had an ex who was really harassing her because one night child services knocked on my door asking if I ever heard any trouble next door,” said Meryl Feidelman, Galloway’s neighbor.
Galloway has been fighting for custody of her four-year-old son with Kathleen’s son, the child’s father, since 2021. The one-year-old does not belong to Leigh’s son.
The deceased mother had a history of domestic violence disputes with her ex-partner related to the custody battle, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Pictured: A gun recovered at the scene
Between July 2021 and November, five reports and two complaints had been filed with the NYPD, but no arrests were made. Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I said, ‘No, no, she’s a lovely mother, a lovely woman.’
Leigh allegedly believed Galloway was abusive, as several of the reports included complaints from the four-year-old’s father that his daughter would come home with bruises on her arm, but investigators found the allegations to be unfounded.
But residents of the building suggest otherwise, as one neighbor told the New York Post that the mother showed no signs of a cancer diagnosis and often told others in the building that she thought Galloway was an abuser.
“She used to tell me things like the mother was abusing the child,” the neighbor said, “but I don’t think there was any evidence of that.”
-But I know that he didn’t like his ex-daughter-in-law.
His family have since paid tribute to Galloway, saying his “kindness, generosity and love were unparalleled”.
Sources told the The New York Post that the father had custody from Friday to Monday, while Galloway had her daughter from Tuesday to Thursday.
NYPD investigators reportedly entered the apartment and emerged with a cardboard box containing items.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
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