MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — The suspect in the murder of a Hardy County teacher has died.
According to Moorefield Police Chief Steven Reckart, Jared Connors, 47, died Friday at the University of Virginia Medical Center from injuries he suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound last week.
The investigation into the murder of Joy Coby, Connors’ girlfriend, a teacher at Moorefield Middle School, will continue, Reckart said. The motive appears to be domestic-related.
“They were not getting along very well and Mr. Connors had information that their relationship was going to cease and he was not happy about it,” Reckart said.
Coby’s body was found in a wooded area near her home. Connors shot himself as police approached the vehicle he was in, Coby’s vehicle, in a parking lot in Virginia.
The Moorefield community has taken her death very hard, Reckart said. Coby was well-liked and well-known.
“The community is very distraught about it,” Reckart said. “The school community and the community in general are taking it very hard.”
There are a number of organizations people in the community can reach out to for counseling and intervention for domestic situations, Reckart said.
“Seek that counseling right away because a lot of our bad crimes that occur are domestlic-related,” he said.