A mother and daughter were fatally shot outside their Ohio home last Wednesday before the gunman took his own life during a police chase.
Police identified the women as Deborah Hudak, 55, and her 25-year-old daughter, Cathryn Hudak. The suspect, 38-year-old Jonathan Crago, had a relationship with at least one of the victims, according to WKBN 27.
Police called the events leading up to the shooting a domestic dispute, WFMJ 21 reported. Brittany Hudak, who was Deborah’s daughter and Cathryn’s sister, said her sister was being harassed by an ex-boyfriend before her death, per the outlet, though it was unclear if Cargo was the person to whom she was referring.
“The threats that I saw come in. ‘If you don’t do this you’ll see what happens. If you don’t do this, you’ll see the results.’ Nothing you could say is a direct threat as to, ‘I’m going to take your life,’ however, anybody can read that and interpret something bad might happen,” Brittany said, per WFMJ 21.
According to the outlet, Brittany said that after Cathryn broke up with the ex, the ex started showing up at places he knew she would be.
“She knew to call the police, she knew to report it,” Brittany said, per WFMJ 21. “The problem comes when those individuals set the guidelines for how this crime can be punished. How do we punish menacing? How do we punish stalking? How do we punish domestic violence? You put somebody on probation — they’re out. They can still contact this person.”
According to the outlet, Lowellville police had filed two first degree felony counts of aggravated murder against Crago when they received a 911 call about shots fired.
After obtaining a description of Crago’s vehicle, police found Crago in Parma, Ohio, driving the vehicle. He proceeded to lead officers on a chase. Per 33 WYTV, police said Crago called Cleveland police and told them of his intention to “commit suicide by cop,” which prompted a shelter-in-place order to be placed on residents in the area.
The outlet further reported that Crago fatally shot himself before he was apprehended.
On Sunday, the Hudak women were honored during a candlelight vigil attended by about 200 people, WKBN 27 reported.
“You know the saying ‘Give you the shirt off their back?’ They would give you the shirt and then look for a pair of pants,” Brittany said at the vigil, per WKBN 27.
“Debbie loved working with people with developmental disabilities, she did that through most of her adult life,” Roy Pratt, who was Deborah’s brother and Cathryn’s uncle, said at the vigil, per the outlet.
WKBN 27 reports that during the vigil, Pratt said the victims worked with animals who needed a home, saying the women had a “passion for taking in the strays, the old dogs, the sick dogs, the injured cats,” and that they “would get them all taken care of with the vets.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up in support of the victims’ family members. “Two incredibly beautiful humans who were taken from the world by a SENSELESS act of violence way too soon,” states the page, which was created by family friend Chelsea Marrie.
Debbie “was kind, she was patient, and she always wanted what was best for us,” the page states.
It adds: “Katie was so vibrant and so full of life. ... Neither of them deserved what happened to them, they should be sitting at home right now with each other, but instead they are gone.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
