According to reports, George "Scott" Samson, an anaesthesiologist, was found with gunshot wounds in the basement of the mansion he shared with his bride, Kelly Samson née Ecker, within hours of their wedding in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.
Police were alerted by a 911 emergency call made by the new Mrs Samson three minutes after a fierce fight led guests to leave the couple's home, where they had held their wedding reception.
On a recording of the phone call made at 1.20am on Sunday and released by police, she can be heard saying that her new husband was beating her and had threatened to kill her.
The phone call ended but she called back twice before the third conversation was interrupted by gunshot noises, after which the line went dead.
Her body was found in a bedroom used by her 10-year-old son from a previous relationship.
It was 54-year-old Samson's second marriage, and friends said that while the wedding and much of the reception had passed off happily, the couple had a troubled relationship.
After a church service and reception in a marquee in the grounds of their home, the guests went inside to continue the celebration.
Witnesses said that the couple had already had a fierce argument which became so bad that the guests felt compelled to leave. The last departed at 1.17am, leaving the couple alone with Mrs Samson's son and an elderly couple thought to be her new parents-in-law. They were unharmed.
A marquee used to entertain wedding guests could still be seen in the grounds of their home two days after the murder-suicide.
In an email to the IndyStar newspaper, Vigo County Chief Deputy Sheriff Clark Cottom said: "The investigation has revealed that there was an [sic] verbal argument between the couple toward the end of the reception, which carried over to the after party at the couples' home.
"Shortly after the last guest left at around 1.17am Kelly Ecker Samson called 911 reporting that her husband had threatened to kill her.
"There were a total of three very brief 911 calls, which in the first two the caller disconnected."
Vigo County Coroner Dr. Susan Amos added: "'They had just got married and something went terribly wrong."
The police said that Samson owned the 45-caliber semi-automatic pistol used to kill both his bride and himself legally.
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