London - A dog trainer who murdered his wife before shooting himself at the cottage where Boris Johnson grew up has died.
John Zurick shot his estranged wife Debbie, 56, on Saturday afternoon after discovering she had a new boyfriend.
The 67-year-old, who along with Mrs Zurick had trained dogs for Princess Anne, then turned the gun on himself at the Prime Minister’s family estate in Winsford, near Minehead, Somerset.
Yesterday, police confirmed Zurick, pictured, had died in hospital.
Last night, a friend of the couple said: ‘I have mixed emotions about John’s passing. He should have faced court for what he did but I think he must have just flipped. It was a case of “if I can’t have you, nobody will”. That was not the John I knew.’
Mrs Zurick had left Zurick, her husband of 30 years, before Christmas and went to Ireland. During her stay, she had started a relationship and planned to make the move permanent.
It is believed she had returned to the cottage, bought by the pair from Mr Johnson’s father Stanley for £440,000 in 2013, to collect a dog and some possessions. Mrs Zurick was with a friend but she was locked in an outhouse after being confronted by Zurick. He sent a message to a friend, confessing he had shot Mrs Zurick.
* Receive IOL's top stories via Whatsapp by sending your name to 0745573535
** Follow IOL on
and
to join the conversation and stay updated with the latest news.