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College Friends Die In Apparent Murder-Suicide In Texas
“He was the life of the party, and every room was brighter when he walked in the door,” victim Connor Shannon’s family said in a statement. Authorities believe Matthew Pfluger killed Shannon, then took his own life.
Two Texas college students are dead in an apparent murder suicide that has shocked those who knew the close friends.
The bodies of Matthew Bond Pfluger and Connor Patrick Shannon, both 24, were discovered Sunday morning in the San Marcos home they both shared as roommates, according to local station KTBC.
The pair, who were described by police as close friends, had been living together for nearly a year while attending Texas State University.
Authorities believe that Pfluger shot Shannon multiple times inside the home, then tried to kill himself with a knife. When that attempt to take his own life was unsuccessful, he went outside to the backyard and shot himself in the head, police said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Friends who knew the pair said they didn’t believe Shannon would ever be the type to be confrontational and questioned how the violence occurred, KXAN reports.
“Connor was a friend who you could always count on to make you happy, smile and laugh,” friend Erica Gauthier said. “Just a genuine, sweet, caring soul that you would gravitate to. That saying that, ‘Only the good die young’ has never been more true. He will be missed so much.”
Shannon’s family also released a statement to the news channel after his death, calling him a “guy with a big smile and a bigger heart” who was studying electrical engineering.
“The perfect combination of kind, goofy and intelligent, he was a joy to every person that had the opportunity to spend time with him,” the family said. “He was the life of the party, and every room was brighter when he walked in the door. In his free time, Connor enjoyed watching sports, hunting, fishing and playing video games; however, he was happiest when he was spending time with his family and his dog, Champ.”
His family told the station they weren’t aware of any problems between the two roommates before their deaths. Both had graduated from Lake Travis High School in 2013.
Shannon had been a defensive end on the school’s state championship football team in 2011.
“Connor never met a person that he didn’t welcome with open arms, and we know that those arms and now wrapped around Jesus,” his family said.
San Marcos Police continue to investigate the deaths and said the bodies were discovered around 9:30 a.m. Sunday by a friend.
