Coroner Releases Second ID In Apparent Murder-Suicide

The 68-year-old man who allegedly shot his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself during a domestic altercation in Menifee has been identified.

Gerald Pace was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.

Just before 10 p.m. that night, deputies were dispatched to a domestic disturbance in the 33000 block of Merritt Road, just off Scott Road near the Menifee/Murrieta border, according to a report from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

While en route to the residence, deputies received word that shots had been fired. When they reached the house, deputies found Pace and a woman dead in the front yard, the report stated.

"The investigation revealed the male suspect shot and killed the woman and then shot and killed himself," according to a sheriff's statement.

Debra Vandyke, 49, of Menifee has been identified by authorities as the girlfriend killed in the attack. She was pronounced dead at 10:08 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.

A possible motive for the shooting was not disclosed.

—City News Service contributed to this report.