Ode to the Observant Male

I hate to make light in the face of a murder, but this story is just beyond belief. Apparently, police received a 911 call Sunday night regarding a hostage situation and a murder. A man broke into a family's Brentwood home and held the husband and wife hostage. The kidnapper proceeded to kill the husband, while the wife was able to escape and call 911 from a neighbor's house. Nashville Police ended up tracking the killer down in an unoccupied house and took him into custody.

This story, however horribly tragic, appeared to be at an end. However, some things weren't adding up. There were no signs of forced entry, for instance. After further investigation, police learned that the man had been a guest of the wife, and had been living in her closet for a month without her husband's knowledge. Let me repeat that... the man was living in the wife's closet for a month in what appears to be a 2-3000 sq. ft. home, and the husband did not know it. He walked into the closet and found the man sleeping, confronted him and the wife, and was held hostage and later killed by the houseguest. More details are promised in tomorrow's news.

We here at the "Hat" send condolences to the family of the man and hopes that the attacker is brought to justice. We also implore that all men (and women for that matter) be aware of their surroundings and be on the lookout for any strange people living in their home for long periods of time (especially in the spouse's closet).

Update (4/13/05): The Tennessean now offers a much more detailed article which offers minor updates, including:

• The wife lied to the mother-in-law during her weekly phone call, saying that the husband had taken Sudafed and was asleep (instead of that he was, you know, dead)...
• It was the man's snoring that gave him away (but only a month into the living arrangement)...
• The wife and the murderer were lovers (really?)...
• The marriage was kinda rocky (really?!?)...
• The police found problems with the wife's story, particularly with the timeline (really?!??)...
• But regardless of all of this, the wife is only a witness, not a suspect (really?!?!??)...
• This is the weirdest case the Nashville PD has had in a while (really?!?!?!???)...

Update (4/14/05): Now it is being reported that the man died on Sunday rather than Monday. The wife staged the frantic "escape" and 911 call on Monday, after the husband had been lying dead in the home for a day. Wonder if she's still not a suspect?!?