SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 17 -- The son-in-law of former California Angels Manager John McNamara shot and killed his two little sons Thursday after his wife said she was leaving him, then killed himself, police said. Officers who arrived at the house on in a quiet east Sacramento neighborhood minutes later found the body of Monroe Dana Watkins, 35, sprawled over a .45-caliber handgun.
His slain children lay nearby. Torrance, 6, and Tyler, 4, were shot once each in the head. Peggy McNamara Watkins, 40, described the shootings to investigators, who said there initially was no reason to suspect the killings were anything other than murder-suicide. Police spokesman Michael Heenan said the couple had been together at least since 1986 because Watkins had been arrested that year for domestic assault against her. 'They had been having marital problems over some period of time,' Heenan said, 'She had been contemplating separation as sort of a final attempt to end it and resolved to confront him after he had been out all night with a friend of his.' As the boys slept in their parents' bedroom, Peggy Watkins waited for her husband to return to the house in the quiet neighborhood, then told him of her plan about 7:30 a.m., Heenan said. 'She said he received it verycalmly, but after a few minutes went into the room and exited with a gun. He said he was going to kill both children and himself, and she would have to watch.' Peggy Watkins called the 911 emergency number, hung up when she was confronted by her husband, then answered the dispatcher who called back, Heenan said. At that point, the dispatcher heard her screaming while three shots rang out in the background.
