Local official kills wife, self in England

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CROMER, England, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A local official in eastern England killed his wife and then called a couple to tell them what he had done before taking his own life, the friends said.

Police found the body of Keith Johnson, 58, head of the North Norfolk District Council, in his back yard in Roughton, the Daily Mirror reported. His wife, Andrea, 44, was in a neighbor's front yard.

Jean Amis, 71, said she and her husband last saw the Johnsons Thursday night. She said Johnson called them Saturday after he shot his wife.

"We were all in our hot tub looking at the stars, having a chinwag and laughing. It was a lovely night and they seemed very happy," she said. "We have no idea why this happened. They had ups and downs like everyone but they were a normal couple."

The Johnsons had been married since 2004 but had been involved for some years before. Johnson had three sons from an earlier marriage.

Johnson was a former mayor of Cromer and was selected as head of the district council last year. He was a member of the Conservative Party.

Andrea Johnson, who had apparently recovered from spinal cancer, had recently been told she would need another operation, investigators said.

A clay pigeon shooter, Andrea Johnson owned four shotguns.