Questions remain after Little Egg Harbor killings

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - October 4, 2010

Valerie King lives three doors down from 67 West Chester Drive, the center of the violence and the home of Craig and Bryan Mueller.

King said she watched as her neighbor, 21-year-old Cara Ellis, was shot to death as she spoke to her husband on the phone.

"Her husband told me he was on the phone with her and she called to say good morning. She heard the bullets and then, he said, the phone went dead," King said.

It was 10:15 a.m. Monday when, police say, 45-year-old Craig Mueller fired a military style rifle from his second-floor window, killing 52-year-old Bryan Mueller.

Cara Ellis was trying to help Bryan when she was also cut down.

Police say they have recovered between 50 and 70 spent cartridges.

On Tuesday, neighbors were still trying to come to terms with the violence.

"He had a routine. He would get up and barbecue or something on the grill and yell up to me 'Hey, what's going on? Are you still laid off?' And that was about it," said neighbor Michael Wright.

Cara Ellis lived with her husband in the Tall Timbers development for less than a year. King said she is not surprised that Cara spent her last moments trying to help someone in danger.

"She was very bubbly and she was always smiling," King said.

The body of Bryan Mueller was found about 10 yards from the condo. Cara Ellis was found about 15 yards away. Craig Mueller was found on the second floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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