BREAKING NEWS [Update]: Local gay men found dead, murder-suicide investigation underway
Eric Schulthise
Late this afternoon, San Diego Police Department conducted a welfare check at an apartment in the 3900 block of Wilson Ave. According to ABC Channel 10 News, officers found the bodies around 4PM after a co-worker of someone who lives in the apartment reqested a welfare check when the person did not show up for work.
Sources close to GLTNN have confirmed that the two bodies found were Eric Schulthise, a SeaWorld employee and Robert “Bob” Agnew, a former Naval Academy instructor. The respected and well-liked Schulthise was a regular fixture in the bear community, attending many fundraisers and events throughout the city. He was also a frequent go-go dancer at Bacchus House Bear Night. Schulthise and Agnew dated off and on from September through December 2009.
[Update]: According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, SDPD confirmed that a gun was found in the apartment. Homicide Detectives are investigating further.
[Update]: SDPD is now confirming that the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide.
Robert "Bob" Agnew
[Update]: Further reports coming from both Fox 6 News and the SDUT indicate that some of Schulthise’s neighbors heard shots fired early Thursday morning. Fox also reported that neighbors have witnessed the two men arguing in front of the complex. Comment posts to some of the online reports have indicated that District 3 City Councilmember Todd Gloria is a resident of the complex.
The deaths of both Schulthise and Agnew have stunned and deeply saddened many in the community who were friends with one or both. Since the news was reported, Schulthise’s Facebook page has been flooded with messages of condolence from people everywhere. Those close to both men were aware that the one-time couple had relationship troubles that eventually led to their break-up in mid-December.
[Update]: SDPD has not yet released details on the murder-suicide investigation. GLTNN has learned from sources close to both men that a three-page suicide note was left, addressed to one of the men’s roommates.
Check back for further developments in this breaking news story.
Here’s some additional background on Bob Agnew.
He joined the Gay Men’s Chorus this past fall and immediately distinguished himself as a very talented musician. The GMCSD merged with the San Diego Mens’Chorus at the end of 2009, and of the ~140 singers in the combined chorus, he stood out as one of the very handsomist men in the whole group. He was very well liked by his fellow chorusers and there is great surprise among us that something was going so very wrong in his home life. He appeared to be in good spirits when we all saw him at rehearsal last Monday.
He was a full time graduate student at SDSU.