Affidavit: Domestic dispute led to 2 deaths in Arlington

A woman accused of shooting her husband and his adult daughter called a friend Wednesday and told him she did it, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained Thursday by the Star-Telegram.

Veronica Dunnachie, 35, was arrested Wednesday in the deaths of Russ Dunnachie, 50, and Kimberly Dunnachie, 20. They were found in Russ Dunnachie’s home in the 2500 block of Edinburgh Street in Arlington by patrol officers who were making a welfare check, according to the affidavit.

The suspect has been involved in area open-carry activities and has this quotation on her Facebook page: “Sometimes removing some people out of your life makes room for better people.” Her profile photo shows her aiming a gun.

Kimberly Dunnachie died at 4 p.m. Wednesday from gunshot wounds to her head and chest, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s website.

A friend of Veronica Dunnachie’s told detectives that she sounded upset when she called Wednesday and said she had done something bad, according to the affidavit. The friend, Guy Potter, told detectives that he knew the couple was divorcing.

Potter tried to reassure Veronica Dunnachie, but she said “she couldn’t be helped this time as she had just shot her husband,” the affidavit says. Potter asked about Russ Dunnachie’s daughter, and Veronica Dunnachie said “she had shot her too,” the affidavit says.

Potter advised Veronica Dunnachie to go to Millwood Hospital, a mental-health facility in Arlington. Potter called another friend, Steven Marshall, who alerted police.

Veronica Dunnachie was arrested about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the hospital.

“We’re still looking for the weapon,” Arlington police Sgt. Jeffrey Houston said Thursday.

Potter later told detectives that he didn’t call 911 himself because he was upset by what she told him.

Veronica Dunnachie was recently ordered to vacate the couple’s home before the end of the month, according to their divorce documents.

She and her husband had temporary restraining orders against each other that were issued last month, according to Tarrant County court documents.

Veronica Dunnachie filed for divorce Oct. 3, noting that she and her husband were married on April 20, 2006, and stopped living together Oct. 2, according to the court documents. She filed for divorce because of discord or conflict of personalities, the documents indicate.

Court documents listed four children in the family — boys ages 17, 8 and 6, and a girl age 3.

“He was a very devoted father and husband,” Alison Porterfield of Fort Worth, Russ Dunnachie’s divorce attorney, said Thursday. “He didn’t want to be divorced.”

Porterfield said that Russ Dunnachie talked about reconciliation but that his wife never attended a counseling session.

Russ Dunnachie also filed for divorce, on Oct. 15, and cited discord and conflict of personalities.

A few weeks later, he filed a motion asking a judge to confer with the oldest boy to determine who he thinks should take care of him.

An associate judge ordered the Dunnachies to maintain joint custody, with Russ Dunnachie making all educational and surgical decisions, receiving $375 per month in child support and gaining temporary possession of the home.

Veronica Dunnachie was awarded visits and had to leave the house by Dec. 31, according to court documents. Russ Dunnachie was ordered to pay $1,500 a month in spousal support.

Veronica Dunnachie remained in the Arlington Jail on Thursday evening, with no bail set.

This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Affidavit: Domestic dispute led to 2 deaths in Arlington."