Facebook relationship status change blamed for murder-suicide

The function on Facebook where it automatically will publish your updated relationship status in a feed to your Facebook friends is being blamed for a murder-suicide in North Carolina.

63-year-old Karen Ann Rooney was found dead in her Maysville home by a neighbor, shot dead. Also in the home was the body of 62-year-old Peter Terrance Moonan. Rooney and Moonan were together for 16 years, and law enforcement officials believe that Rooney’s change of status on Facebook to “engaged” may have sparked the killing.

Onslow County Sheriff’s Maj. Donnie Worrell said:

“[Rooney and Moonan] split up in February and since that time Rooney had met someone else,” said Worrell. “And as of Aug. 1 she had changed her status to engaged.”

“His family told us that he was having a hard time dealing with [news of the engagement] but that he had not shown any signs of anger or mental issues or anything else,” he said.

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“Everyone was surprised,” said Worrell.

Rooney’s Facebook page displays several messages from friends congratulating her on her engagement to boyfriend William Jenkins. Jenkins declined to comment on Rooney’s murder.