Man Kills Wife, Then Self After Standoff

MARLBORO COUNTY (WBTW) -- A man apparently killed his wife, then himself at their Blenheim home Wednesday after a standoff with law enforcement officers, Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown said.

The victims have not yet been identified, but both were 42 and died as a result of gunshot wounds. Their bodies are being sent to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for autopsies, Brown said.

A man barricaded himself and his wife inside their home on Ayers Road at S.C. 38, near Parker's Used Cars, according to a S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services agent at the scene.

The standoff began about 3 p.m. and ended about 7 p.m.

Initial reports indicated two children were also inside the home, but that wasn't the case, Brown said.

The couple had four children, but none were at the residence, the coroner said.

In addition to Marlboro County sheriff's deputies and Bennettsville police, State Law Enforcement Division SWAT agents responded to the scene.

It's the second hostage situation in Marlboro County in a year's time.