Two Dead in Apparent Murder Suicide on West Street

Updated: Saturday 3:43 p.m.

A woman and her ex-husband are dead following an apparent murder suicide that occurred outside a home on West Street Saturday morning.

Saudina Mehovic, 37, the homeowner according to Southington property records, was initially stabbed then subsequently shot in the driveway of the home, according to police.

Nurija Mehovic, 48, the woman's ex-husband, went to the wooded area behind the home following the incident and shot himself once, police said.

Nurija Mehovic has been living at 491 Main St. since the divorce. He was arrested on one charge of violation of a restraining order in May 2010, according to police records, and the couple had been divorced for about two years.

Both were pronounced dead after being taken to area hospitals, said Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma.

"We received a call about 10:30 a.m. with reports that a woman had been shot and stabbed," DePalma said. We arrived to find the woman in the driveway. The man suspected of shooting her had gone into a wooded area and shot himself."

A handgun appeared to be used in the incident but police were unable to say whether Nurija Mehovic owned the gun of if he had a weapons permit.

The couple had two children together, boys ages 14 and 16, who were home at the time of the incident. Names of the boys are not being released, and DePalma said police are working to provide arrangements for the two teenagers.

Saudina Mehovic was a graduate of UConn.

Friends and family gathered outside a parking lot on the corner of West Street and West Main Street but declined comment. Several were in tears, while others attempted to console them.

Neighbors were not available for comment following the incident.

The State Police Major Crime Squad and New Britain State's Attorney Office were both called to the scene to assist in the investigation. West Street has been closed from West Main Street to Prospect Street as an investigation continues.

The home at 47 West St. is currently on the market to be sold.

Further details will be released as they become available, DePalma said.

The incident marks the first murder in Southington since 2007, when Marcos Mercado Jr. of New Britain shot and killed Southington resident Thomas Szadkowski on Christmas Eve.

Mercado was sentenced to serve 70 years in prison in June 2010 following his conviction.