DC Tragedy Blamed on Skydiving

[PrairieDoug 0]

I was saddened to see the story below from today's Washington Post, which attributes a murder-suicide in the DC area to the aftermath of a skydiving accident. The skydiver's name is Robert Dixon. My condolences to the families and friends of all involved.

Quote

Arundel Man Kills Wife, Himself
Victim Had Sought Protective Order Against Her Husband

By Tara Bahrampour
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 20, 2004; Page B02

An Anne Arundel man fatally shot his wife and their dog and then killed himself Saturday, several hours after she filed a domestic violence report against him, police said yesterday.

Robert Joel Dixon, 63, his wife, Carolyn C. Dixon, 64, and their small, white dog, Cody, were found dead Saturday in their Glen Burnie home by officers who went there to arrest Robert Dixon, police said.

Relatives and neighbors said he had been depressed since a sky-diving accident had forced him to stop working.

Police first visited the house Friday evening. "Mrs. Dixon called . . . and indicated that he had threatened her in some manner, bruised her arm, and they had been pushing and shoving each other," said Sgt. Shawn A. Urbas of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Urbas said that Robert Dixon left the house that night but returned and that the following afternoon, his wife went to police for a protective order. Police "urged her not to go home," he said, adding that three hours later, the couple were found dead.

Outside the couple's one-story house on Phyllis Drive yesterday, Robert Dixon's cousin David Dixon and his wife, Donna, who used to live next door, recalled Robert as a helpful neighbor and avid hunter who carved a tombstone for the couple's dog Sassy that still stood.

But about a year and a half ago, things changed.

"He was making his 401st jump and got seriously hurt," David Dixon said. "His chute got tangled up, and by the time his emergency chute opened up, he hit the ground at 80 miles per hour."

After that, Dixon said, "he was a completely different Bob Dixon. He used to be so outgoing and friendly. He used to help his neighbors."

Even after he was injured, Robert Dixon was fastidious about taking care of his lawn, which was still neatly mowed yesterday. But the accident forced him to give up his job at his son-in-law's heating and air-conditioning company.

"Men have pride, and his pride was broken because he couldn't do like he could do before," Donna Dixon said. "I think it just destroyed him."

She said she had not heard of problems between the couple. But a neighbor, Millard Ernst, said he had noticed trouble after the accident. "She moved out on him two or three times," he said.

Donna Dixon described Carolyn, who used to clean houses for a living, as "very talkative and friendly" and a big fan of flea markets.

She also was passionate about Cody, the dog. "That was her pride and joy," said Mike Ackerman, another neighbor. "That dog was everything to her."

Robert had two grown children and Carolyn had three, including a daughter who lives nearby, Donna Dixon said. She said this was the second marriage for both.

A small American flag jutted from the house, and out front stood Robert Dixon's blue Ford truck. A sticker on the back window read, "Skydiving," beside the white silhouette of a man in a parachute.

[Tonto 1]

Yup.

Don't quit. It'll kill ya.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[msxtreme 0]

OMG!!!!!

I can't even DEAL with this right now.

So, I'm gonna logoff for a bit,
have a good CRY
and PRAY that ...
this gets forwarded on to certain Northern California skydiving individuals, groups, communities and/or businesses with which I have ceased communication with for their complete lack of awareness and/or inability to see how their actions/inactions might POSSIBLY be affecting fellow skydivers, injured or not.

Thank you, [PrairieDoug] you have done at least ONE woman and fellow skydiver a HUGE service by posting this message.

J Mo Fantastico Rodriguez

J Mo Fantastico Rodriguez
(a bumpy brother)

[diverdriver 7]

For some reason that name sounds familiar. Where did Rob jump normally and where did he get hurt?

[PrairieDoug 0]

For anyone who's interested, a longer version of this story has been posted in the Incidents forum.