League City couple in murder-suicide identified as school leaders from Texas City and Spring ISDs
LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- The couple found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in League City have both been confirmed as administrators at schools in the area.
Police said 40-year-old Nicholas Allen appeared to have shot and killed his wife Erica Allen in the 400 block of Westwood Drive late Wednesday night. Erica's body was located two homes down from where they lived.
Witnesses told police Nicholas had returned to his family home by the time officers responded to a report of a home invasion. The couple's two children, ages 2 and 7 years old, were inside, prompting a tactical team to be called.
Roughly three hours later, at 1:33 a.m. Thursday, the team entered the home and found the Allens' two children unharmed. They were taken to the hospital for an evaluation as a precaution.
During a sweep of the home, police found Nicholas' body inside a closet. Investigators believe his death was self-inflicted.
Before they found him, they were able to speak with him on the phone, where he stated where he was hiding and that he had two "innocents" in the home.
Investigators determined the initial call of a home invasion was not true, and that the incident stemmed from a domestic problem.
A records search by ABC13 showed Erica had filed for a temporary restraining order in Galveston County last July against Nicholas. The filing refers to a petition of divorce between the two.
In the wake of the incident, Eyewitness News confirmed Erica was the principal of Heights Elementary School in Texas City ISD. Nicholas was also confirmed to be a school administrator, serving as an assistant principal at Wells Middle School in Spring ISD.
Texas City ISD issued a statement, honoring Erica, which read in part:
Texas City ISD is devastated to learn of the death of one of our employees, Heights Elementary School Principal Erica Allen.
Mrs. Allen was a caring educator and excellent instructional leader who worked for Texas City ISD for 8 years. She was a math teacher early on in her career then we hired her as an assistant principal in 2013. She has been the principal at Heights for the past three years.
Texas City ISD will provide counselors for students and staff for as long as needed.
Grief counselors are being offered to Heights students.
GET HELP: If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation, call the Houston Area Women's Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or call AVDA at 713-224-9911. You can also click HAWC's live chat to reach an advocate online. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and need help, call 713-528-3625.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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