Police say brother killed his sister then turned gun on himself

By Chorus Nylander

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KVOA) — We are learning more about a disturbing murder-suicide case on Tucson’s south side.

In a news release Monday, Tucson Police identified the two people found dead in a home on West Virginia Street near Drexel Rd. and Nogales Highway on Sunday as James William Modesitt and Ramona Catherine Fernandez.

Police said they were brother and sister.

Based on the evidence at the scene and interviews conducted, investigators believe James shot and killed his sister before turning the gun on himself.

They did not reveal a motive for the shooting.

News 4 Tucson spoke with a neighbor who doesn’t want to be identified that heard the shots fired, she told us that she wasn’t shocked by the tragic events because she had seen many issues stemming from the home for years.

“I knew sooner or later something was going to happen,” she said. “He was not mentally stable and they took him into custody God only knows how many times, they took their weapons and next thing you know he’s back again, so I knew sooner or later this was going to happen.”

News 4 Tucson looked into James Modesitt’s criminal history, the only serious crimes we found connected to him were five charges related to disorderly conduct and intimidation stemming from a fight at the home in 2021.

According to Tucson City Court records, Modesitt had failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

News 4 Tucson’s Chief Investigative Reporter Chorus Nylander approached the home where Modesitt and Fernandez lived, their cousin and her son were there cleaning up the home. They did not want to do an interview but told Nylander they were devastated by the loss.

“The parents are gone, the brother and sister are gone, the whole family is gone,” the cousin said.

The cousin’s son wanted to pass on a message for others that may be dealing with suicidal thoughts saying, “these things can be prevented, there’s help out there.”

“We’re going to miss them dearly. It was a tragedy.”

“I love my family, I came over to pay my respects. We’ll come back,” Erin Lund said.

Monday evening, other relatives like Erin, who is a cousin to James and Ramona, stopped by the home clearly devastated by the loss.

“We’re just coming together to take care of one another,” Lund said.

The investigation is still on going we will update you as we learn more.

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