KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Police found a Lenexa man accused of shooting and killing his wife and son passed out at the double murder scene after taking 30 Ambien pills "to calm himself down," according to a court document.
Todd Donovan, 53, is charged in Johnson County Court with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of cruelty to animals.
Lenexa police found Donovan's wife Sheila, 52, and their son, Tyler, 22, dead inside their home on Nov. 1.
Officers were sent about 8:30 p.m. to the 7900 block of Hallett Street on shots fired at a home in the area.
Police learned the shots came from a neighboring house, according to a probable cause statement.
Officers were able to get Donovan on the phone and he spoke intermittently with them.
Donovan walked out of his house at one point with his hands in the air and threw a rifle out of his garage, the court document states.
He went back into the house.
About 9:40 p.m., Donovan told officers he took medication in order to help himself calm down.
The phone line remained open, the court document states, and officers could hear Donovan snoring.
They went into the house and found Sheila and Tyler Donovan dead from gunshot wounds.
A neighbor later told police they had taken their dog for a walk and saw the Donovans drinking in their driveway.
They asked the family to join them, but they declined, the court document states.
Parts of the probable cause statement were redacted before it was sent to KSHB 41.
There is no information in the document about what led to the killings or what happened to the neighbor's dog.
Donovan remains in the Johnson County Adult Detention Center. His bond is set at $2 million.
His next court appearance is scheduled for January 2025.
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