UPDATE-MURDER/SUICIDE Dr.

Robert Blackburn & Sarah Blackburn On January 10, 2010, Hernando County Deputies began an investigation into the deaths of Dr. Robert G. Blackburn age 55 and his wife Sarah Blackburn age 40, found at their residence located at 6492 Laurel Oak Dr, in the Lake in the Woods subdivision in Spring Hill. The investigation has revealed the following information; on January 10, 2010, at approximately 11:30 am, Dr. Blackburn's long time friend and office manager, Ruth Hooch age 51, received a call from Dr. Blackburn asking that she come to his residence. Mrs. Hooch arrived at approximately 12:50 pm and was brought into the residence by Dr. Blackburn. Dr. Blackburn told Mrs. Hooch that Sarah had threatened to ruin him, take his children and everything he owned. Dr. Blackburn went on to tell Mrs. Hooch that Sarah had stabbed him and he killed her and he didn't want to go to prison so he was going to kill himself. Dr. Blackburn showed Mrs. Hooch where he kept important documents inside the home and wanted assurance from Mrs. Hooch that she would make sure his children were taken care of. Mrs. Hooch said she tried to talk Dr. Blackburn out of committing suicide but Blackburn forced her out of the residence. At 1:26 pm, Mrs. Hooch called 911 from her vehicle which was parked on the street outside of the Blackburn residence and she waited for deputies to arrive. At 1:32 pm, Deputies arrived and discovered the bodies of Sarah Blackburn and Robert Blackburn dead inside the closet of the master bedroom. A small caliber handgun was found next to Dr. Blackburn's body. His body was lying next to Sarah on the closet floor. An autopsy was conducted today and the Medical Examiners report indicated that Sarah Blackburn's death was attributed to several factors which included blunt force trauma- detailed as extensive trauma to the chest, arms and face, multiple lacerations on the face, broken right collarbone, broken sternum, broken ribs 1-6 on the left and 1-5 on the right, a lacerated liver, a lacerated heart, aspirated blood in the lungs, strangulation consistent with the Hyoid bone broken on both sides and a gunshot wound to the head. The autopsy of Dr. Robert Blackburn revealed that he succumbed to a single self inflected gunshot wound to the head. During the autopsy, a minor wound which was 1/8" deep was found on Dr. Blackburn's chest. Detectives did locate a 2 1/4" bladed instrument at the crime scene near the bodies. The Blackburn children are in the care and custody of family members. The investigation is open pending Medical Examiners toxicology report, but is classified as the Murder of Sarah Blackburn by her husband Dr. Robert Blackburn and Suicide of Dr. Robert Blackburn by a self inflected gun shot.