Homicide in Nederland, Fatal Auto-Ped on I-10

The Nederland Police Chief tells KFDM news the suspect shot his 49 year old estranged wife, Susan, in the head, after hiding in a closet inside the home the couple shared until they separated around Easter.

Her friend, 33 year old Monica Alston, was shot in the leg.

Chief Darrell Bush says it happened at about 1 a.m. Saturday in the 13 hundred block of South 36th Street in Nederland.

52 year old Dennis Sattler is being held at the Jefferson County Jail on accusation of murder until he's formally charged.

Chief Bush says Sattler fired all six shots from his 44 magnum revolver, and Bush says there were bullet holes everywhere in the home.

Bush says Sattler was waiting for police when they arrived, and he was taken into custody without incident.

This is a tragic end to what police say is a rare crime in the Nederland community.

"When you get a call like this, it is a surprise cause it's not an every day occurrence, said Nederland Police Chief Darrell Bush.

Chief Bush says 6 years ago was the last time someone was murdered in Nederland.  It was also a domestic violence situation that turned deadly.  Bush says that's what happened in this case.

"It says a lot for our community that we don't have murders continuously," said Chief Bush.

Police say Sattler parked his car down the street, and he was hiding and waiting in a closet for his estranged wife to come home, and when she did, investigators say he shot her in the face.  She died instantly.

Chief Bush says Sattler also shot his estranged wife's friend, Monica Alston, in the leg. After Alston was shot, she ran to a neighbor's house where they called police.

"It's not just the victim.  She's got children, she's got sisters, and I think one of her parents are still alive.  So this affects a whole lot of people.  It doesn't just affect her," said Chief Bush.

The neighbors on 36th Street are shaken up.  No one wanted to talk on camera. Those who spoke off camera said Susan Sattler was a very nice person, and they wish the relationship between the two would not have ended in this way.

 Susan Sattler's friend, Monica Alston, was taken to Christus Hospital Saint Elizabeth, where she is in stable condition.

Murder charges are pending against Dennis Sattler.  Chief Bush expects Sattler to be arraigned Monday.

Chief Bush says this is the first murder in Nederland since 2002.

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(Earlier story)

 Nederland Police Chief Darrell Bush tells KFDM News a woman's estranged husband is behind bars, with murder charges pending, after investigators say he hid in a closet at her home, then came out and killed her while wounding her friend.

   Chief Bush says someone called 9-1-1 at about 1 a.m. Saturday to report shots fired at a home in the 13 hundred block of South 36th Street in Nederland.

    Chief Bush tells KFDM News the victim is Susan Sattler, 49, of Nederland.  He says she was shot once in the head with a 44 magnum revolver at her home.

   Bush says Monica Alston, 33, was shot once in the leg.  She was taken by ambulance to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth, where she's in stable condition.  According to Chief Bush, Susan Sattler and Alston were friends.

   Susan Sattler's estranged husband, Dennis James Sattler, 52, is at the Jefferson County Correctional Center with murder charges pending against him.  He's expected to be arraigned Monday.

  Chief Bush says Sattler parked his car down the street, went inside his wife's home and waited in the closet until she and her friend returned, then surprised them and began shooting.

   Bush says Sattler was waiting for officers when they arrived, and they arrested him without incident.

    Police recovered the 44 magnum revolver.

   Chief Bush says Sattler fired all six shots from his revolver.  Bush says there were bullet holes all over the home.

    According to Chief Bush, the couple had separated around Easter, and he says Dennis Sattler wasn't happy about the break-up.

    Bush says officers had responded to other domestic disturbance calls at the home. 

   He told us this is the first homicide in Nederland since 2002.

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   While Nederland Police were on the scene of the homicide, DPS troopers were investigating a fatal auto-pedestrian accident shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 10 West, near Highway 365 in Jefferson County.

   Investigators tell KFDM a man driving a Dodge pickup struck and killed 38 year old Bobby Lee Trattles of Louisiana. Trattles was walking from the east side to the west side of Interstate 10.

   The driver stopped after hitting the man.

    The driver of the pickup truck told the trooper there was no way to avoid the pedestrian in the middle of the highway.

    A KFDM News crew covered the homicide and the fatal auto-pedestrian accident.

    Watch the Weekend Report at 6 & 10 p.m. Saturday for the latest information on both stories.