Federal Prosecutor Kills Wife, Himself Just 4 Months After Marriage, Police Say

A federal prosecutor and his wife were found dead in their California home on Sunday from an apparent murder-suicide, authorities said.

Assistant US Attorney Timothy Delgado, 43, fatally shot his wife, Tamara Delgado, 45, and then turned the gun on himself, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office.

The police found the couple -- who married in November 2019 -- after Tamara's mother reportedly called to ask for a welfare check.

Timothy was a prosecutor for the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento.

"We were informed that Mr. Delgado and his wife were found deceased in their home," a statement from his office read. "The Placer County Sheriff's Office is investigating with the assistance of FBI, and we are fully cooperating with the investigation."

Tamara had a daughter and son from a previous relationship. Her close friend, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBS13 how Tamara was an amazing parent.

"The love that a mom gives to her children and they adored her. They just adored her. And she's gone," the friend began. "We did every holiday -- Christmas, you name it. She was here. She was here when my son lost his first tooth."

"My tears are for Tamara and losing her," the friend's husband relayed. "My tears are for the situation. But mostly my tears are for her son because I know him so well."

The couple said Timothy had only come into Tamara's life "about a year ago."

"I can't imagine my son growing up without his mom. And the tragic and senseless and unnecessary her life was taken and the impact that it's going to have on him for the rest of his life and that just breaks my heart," the husband added.

A possible motive for the apparent murder-suicide is unknown.

"It's still fresh," the county's sheriff spokeswoman Angela Musallam told the New York Post.

"We're letting detectives contact whomever they need to find out what happened."