An elderly Lewisville man is being held on a $250,000 bond after admitting to killing his wife and their two dogs.
According to an arrest affidavit, 76-year-old Michael Stolz became upset after one of his dogs pooped on the carpet. Stolz told police he went and grabbed his gun and shot the dog in the head. Stolz's wife, 49-year-old Bernice Stolz, then ran screaming into the kitchen.
Stolz told police he shot their other dog at least twice before he turned the gun on his wife.
He told police that he had planned to then commit suicide but hadn't thought things through and had run out of bullets.
The elderly man was taken into custody Tuesday night after a five-hour standoff that began when Lewisville officers performed a welfare check. Bernice Stolz's employer called police to report that she had not been to work Monday or Tuesday.
Officers arrived at the Stolz home in the 1600 block of Chisolm Trail at about 5 p.m. and rang the doorbell. When no one answered, officers went around to the back of the home, opened a sliding glass door and were overcome by the smell of decomposition and the sight of a dead dog.
The officers called out into the home, and an elderly man yelled back that he would be out in a minute and that they should not come back to where he was. Officers continued to request that the concealed man come out, and he continued to say he would be out in a minute until he finally stopped responding.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
For five hours, Michael Stolz remained concealed inside the home. A police robot entered the residence, allowing police to see that Stolz was unarmed and lying on the floor. Officers then went inside, took him into custody and discovered his wife's body in the kitchen with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators said they believe Bernice Stolz had been dead for several days.
Michael Stolz has been charged with murder and is being held on $250,000 bail. He had a mental health evaluation Wednesday.
