The bodies of two former owners of Two Georges restaurant were discovered in the Florida Keys Monday, investigators say, in an apparent case of murder-suicide.
Jim Ovecka, 49, and his wife Michelle Chapman, 54, had plead guilty to over charging customer credit cards to the tune of more than $200,000 back in September.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, their bodies were discovered Monday in a wooded area of Big Pine Key, Fla. A Monroe County mosquito control employee found their bodies in a running 2004 Honda Element.
Authorities believe Jim shot his wife before turning the gun on himself. For good measure, they also used a hose to run vehicle exhaust into the car.
The couple had been arrested in February in Tucson, Az., on charges of defrauding customers of thousands of dollars while they oversaw the former Two Georges Restaurant here in Corpus Christi.
"The credit card companies who actually process those cards were actually the victims," Nueces County District Attorney Mark Skurka said. "The diners didn't lose. The credit card companies were the ones at a loss."
Skurka said his office issued a warrant for the Ovecka's arrest about a month ago because they had failed to report to their probation officer and had failed to make a restitution payment. He said he has no idea why the couple was in Florida.
