Police had no clue Gregory Neifer would crack to the point he'd shoot his wife to death and then turn the gun on himself.
Unlike other cases of extreme domestic violence, the 30-year-old Vernon man appeared to live a quiet life with Sheena Neifer, 29, and their two young sons in their rural house in the wooded suburb of BX. The first time police were called to the house was 1:40 a.m. Monday when a relative reported the shooting.
Officers were shocked to find the couple's bodies and the gun inside the two-level Hartnell Road house. They helped the two boys, believed to be preschoolers, and the mother of one of the victims out of the house and into a vehicle.
The kids and their grandmother are safe and with family, RCMP said.
"It's a very tragic situation," said spokesman Gord Molendyk. "The children go to bed and expect to have their family in the morning. Their lives will be forever changed."
Gregory Neifer grew up in Langley. A check of his criminal record showed no sign of violence or firearms offences. He was charged with possessing a controlled substance in Kamloops in 2007 but acquitted at trial.
He was living in Langley in 2001 when he breached the province's Small Claims Act. He received a six-month suspended sentence and had to perform 25 hours of community work service.
Police found a small grow-op in the couple's garage Monday. Molendyk wasn't sure how many marijuana plants officers dismantled, but said the pot may have been used for medicinal purposes. Investigators were looking into whether Gregory Neifer had a Health Canada licence to grow it.
Little else is known about the couple. A neighbour said they bought the new house and moved in early last summer. They were friendly but kept mostly to themselves, said Connar Huddart.