Sheriff: Love triangle led to Wilson County murder-suicide

Sheriff Wayne Gay called the murder-suicide a domestic violence situation and said Paola Aguilera Ayala, 24, attempted to get a restraining order against her former boyfriend last year but never followed through. Gay said there was a history of reported domestic violence, including accusations of rape, from the woman.

"The domestic violence began several months ago" when the Ayala started dating her new boyfriend, Miguel G. Guerra, Gay said.

Ayala had four children – including three with her former boyfriend – none of who was home at the time of the shooting.

Investigators said they believe Aguilera returned home from her job at Alliance One Tobacco Co. on Wednesday morning and that sometime later, her former boyfriend and another person drove up to the house in a 1997 or 1998 royal blue Dodge truck with N.C. tag YSN-6247.

The former boyfriend, whose name hasn't been released, got out of the truck, went into the house and killed Guerra, authorities said. Ayala ran outside, and he chased her into an adjacent yard before shooting and killing her. He then turned the gun on himself while in the yard next door.

Neighbors said they heard the shots and called 911 around 8:50 a.m.

Gay said the gunman has "a pocket full of bullets" and fired "a large number of shots."

Sheriff's investigators are trying to find the other person who was in the truck.

Guerra was married, and investigators were interviewing his wife Wednesday afternoon.