Derrick Busto, Matthew & Brandy Schneider dead in North Canton, Ohio in apparent double murder-suicide

This happened one block from my sister's home in Canton, Ohio. She is freaked out big time. Also, 3 doors down from her a week before that, a 61 year old woman was raped in her home at knife point. My sister lives in a very nice area of North Canton so this is NOT the norm. I told her it is getting to the point that it doesn't matter where you live.

From what my sister said, he and her family were on their way to church and saw all the police cars and the coroner's van. On the way back from church, they stopped and talked to the news crew and were told that Brandy had just gotten a divorce and was seeing someone else. The ex apparently still had a key, came in, shot Brandy, the boyfriend and then himself..leaving the 7 year old to fend for himself. Unreal!!!



Cantonrep.com Benjamin Duer
Jackson Township police investigating an apparent double murder-suicide at 6686 Ravenwood Ave. NW.
911 call from scene of double murder-suicide (0:02:52)
Dec 28, 2009 @ 01:18 PM
advertisement
By Benjamin Duer
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Dec 28, 2009 @ 10:30 AM
Last update Dec 28, 2009 @ 01:59 PM
JACKSON TWP. —

Three people are dead after an apparent double murder-suicide Sunday.

All three had been shot.

Dead are Brandy L. Schneider, 32, of 6686 Ravenwood Ave. NW and her ex-husband, Matthew A. Schneider, 30, of 805 Applegrove St. NW, North Canton, police said. Derrick W. Busto, 29, of 1257 Bellflower Ave. SW, Canton, also died. (Information has been corrected to fix an error. See correction at end of story. 1:35 p.m., Dec. 28)

Police found the bodies around 7:58 a.m. in the Ravenwood duplex in Spenbrock allotments, just south of Portage Street NW.

A relative of Matthew Schneider found the bodies and called 911, Chief Harley Neftzer said. Neftzer said preliminary information indicates Matthew Schneider went to his ex-wife’s residence and shot her and Busto. He then killed himself, police said. Two handguns — both were used — were recovered at the scene, Neftzer said.

Matthew Schneider pleaded guilty in July to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor for an incident in late 2008 and was put on probation for three years, according to court records.

By then, July 2009, the Schneiders already had begun divorce proceedings, which were finalized Dec. 10.

“We believe it’s a double murder-suicide,” said Rick Walters, an investigator for the Stark County Coroner’s Office.

Neftzer said the case remains under investigation, pending a comprehensive coroner’s review and processing of evidence.

Please click here to see the home and listen to the 911 call:


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Start of a new life cut short by double murder, suicide
Loading multimedia...

By Benjamin Duer
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Dec 28, 2009 @ 10:18 PM
Last update Dec 29, 2009 @ 09:10 AM
JACKSON TWP. —

After a difficult marriage, Brandy L. Schneider had found some hope. Then, she was gunned down, police say.

Listen to the 911 call

Brandy’s sister, Miranda Chaperlo, said the 32-year-old single mother of two boys — one from a previous relationship — had begun to reclaim her life, after her marriage ended in divorce.

Her newly found happiness was reflected on her MySpace page. She recently posted this: “ucantbringmedown” as her mood.

“She was really happy,” Chaperlo said Monday. Brandy worked two jobs to support herself and her son.

But her young life came to an end early Sunday inside her duplex at 6686 Ravenwood Ave. NW, just south of Portage Street NW.

GUNNED DOWN

That’s where police found Brandy and two other bodies about 8 a.m.

Police said Brandy’s ex-husband, Matthew A. Schneider, 30, of North Canton, shot and killed his ex-wife and her friend, Derrick W. Busto, 29, of Canton. Matthew then shot himself, police said.

The couple’s son, Bryce, was home when the shooting occurred, Police Chief Harley Neftzer said Monday.

The boy is 8 or 9.

Chaperlo said Bryce did not see the gunfire; he hid. But he later found his parents and Busto dead.

Brandy’s other son was not there.

A neighbor, Mark Bolin, said Bryce often played with his fiancée’s children or waited for the school bus in their yard.

Family and friends both described the couple’s marriage as horrible, disintegrating over the years.

ROUGH MARRIAGE

At least five to six times since 2007, police responded to calls at the Ravenwood address. Rarely were there any arrests.

“They hated each other,” said Matthew’s friend, Carl Brewer Jr. “It was a relationship for Bryce.”

But Brewer never imagined his friend of 12 years would kill anyone. So the apparent double murder-suicide stunned him.

“The guy had a great job and a wonderful girlfriend (and they) loved each other dearly,” Brewer said.

Brandy and Matthew finalized their divorce Dec. 10. He wanted it so he could date his girlfriend, friends said.

“(Brandy) always poked at him, always fired him up. He was ecstatic about the divorce,” Brewer said.

Chaperlo disagreed.

She saw a different side of Matthew; a crazy side. She and his family have know each other for years.

She said Matthew had second thoughts about the divorce. He had become “crazy” over Brandy’s new life.

“He was jealous,” Chaperlo said. “He wanted my sister back.”

GOODBYE

Brewer said Matthew sent several text messages to him about 6 a.m. Sunday, saying farewell to him.

Brewer said his friend had been depressed about one aspect in his life: Matthew’s July conviction on unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Brewer figured the text messages were about that incident.

That incident occurred in late 2008. Matthew served a 12-day term in jail and was put on the sex offender’s registry.

Brewer said he and another friend arranged to meet Matthew at his North Canton duplex so they could go to breakfast to cheer him up. Matthew never showed.

Shortly after 7 a.m., Brewer contacted North Canton police due to the nature of the text messages. Almost an hour later, the bodies were found at the duplex in Jackson.

Matthew’s brother, Lucas, has temporary custody of Bryce, Chaperlo and Neftzer said. Lucas Schneider reported the slayings.

“Luke is a really good guy. He’s nothing like Matt,” Chaperlo said. “I think Bryce is in good hands.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Father of two, Army veteran shot to death in Jackson murder-suicide

By Robert Wang
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Dec 29, 2009 @ 10:36 PM
Last update Dec 31, 2009 @ 08:36 AM
CANTON —

Derrick Busto left two small children when he was shot to death Sunday morning in Jackson Township by the ex-husband of the woman he was dating.

His younger child, a son, will be 2 in February. His other child is an 8-year-old daughter, Harmony, who still doesn’t comprehend that her father is gone, said the girl’s mother, Kelly Henson, who’s also Busto’s ex-wife. (Information has been changed to correct an error at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 31. See correction at end of story).

“I don’t think she understands right now. She hasn’t said much about it,” Henson, of Canton, said Tuesday. “She keeps asking if her daddy is OK.”

She said Busto was a good father who last summer helped coach their daughter’s softball team.

HOMICIDE VICTIM

Jackson Township police believe that Busto, 29, of Canton, was with Brandy Schneider, 32, at her duplex at 6686 Ravenwood Ave. NW early Sunday. Henson said the two were romantically involved.

Schneider’s ex-husband, Matthew Schneider, 30, of North Canton, entered the home, shot and killed them both, and then shot himself to death, police said.

The Schneiders’ divorce was finalized Dec. 10.

Their son, Bryce, who is 8 or 9, was in the home at the time of the shooting. Brandy’s sister, Miranda Chaperlo, said Bryce did not see the shooting, but along with Matthew’s brother, Lucas, later found the bodies.

Jackson Township Police Chief Harley Neftzer declined Tuesday to say much about the investigation until the Stark County coroner completes autopsies. Neftzer said police want to be absolutely confident that Matthew Schneider acted alone.

“We just want to make sure the coroner’s examination substantiates our theories,” said Neftzer.

Neftzer also declined to say whether Matthew Schneider left a suicide note, but added: “There were a number of text messages between a number of parties and we’re still evaluating that information.”

Rick Walters, Stark County coroner’s investigator, said an autopsy was to be done Tuesday on Brandy Schneider. Autopsies for Busto and Matthew Schneider were scheduled for today.

Busto also left behind a wife, Clarissa Busto, who is the mother of their son. The couple separated about 10 months ago, said Henson. Clarissa now lives in Reedsville, W.Va. (Information has been changed to correct an error at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 31. See correction at end of story).

MARRIES SWEETHEART

Busto’s parents, Jan Busto and Elizabeth Scott, declined to comment when a reporter approached them Tuesday at their son’s home on Bellflower Avenue SW in Canton.

Henson said Busto had two sisters and a half sister. He was the oldest.

Busto was born and raised in Canton, said his grandfather, Fred Busto.

After graduating from McKinley High School in 1998, Derrick Busto married his high school sweetheart, Kelly Karstetter, now Kelly Henson, the next year. They met while working at a Rally’s restaurant.

At the time of his death, Henson said, Busto was a shift manager at the Rally’s on Cleveland Avenue NW.

Busto enlisted in the Army and, said his grandfather and ex-wife, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Fred Busto said his grandson operated an encryption device in an Army intelligence unit and later for a federal contractor in Iraq and Peru.

“Everything was kind of hush-hush,” said Fred Busto, adding that his grandson “never talked about it.”

Henson and Busto were divorced in 2001. Henson said he was a good father who liked video games and computers.

“He was just a really nice guy,” she said. “He would do anything for you. ... He would do anything to make you smile.”

Staff writer Shane Hoover contributed to this report.

Correction: Derrick Busto’s son will be 2 in February. He had been separated from his wife, Clarissa Busto, for about 10 months. His son’s age and the number of months he had been separated were wrong when this story was first published Dec. 30.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]