Rance Ray Magby murdered Kimberly Marie Knapp, police said. (Mugshot of Magby: Tarrant County Jail; screenshot of Knapp: KDFW)
Attorneys in Tarrant County, Texas, are mourning one of their own after a lawyer’s reported lover allegedly shot and killed her.
Officers with the Saginaw Police Department arrived at the home in the 200 block of Lottie Lane on the night of July 24 regarding a self-inflicted gunshot wound. But cops said they discovered the victim, Kimberly Marie Knapp, 46, lying on a bed with a gunshot to the upper chest.
Cops applied direct pressure to the wound until local fire and rescue arrived.
An ambulance rushed her to John Peter Smith Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.
Cops identified Rance Ray Magby, 32, as the only other occupant of the home where the shooting took place. Magby had called 911 to report Knapp had shot herself, KDFW reported.
“During the initial investigation, evidence led investigators to believe that Mr. Magby was responsible for the death of Ms. Knapp,” they wrote. “Investigators obtained an arrest warrant and Mr. Magby was taken into custody without incident.”
Magby and Knapp were romantically involved, cops confirmed, according to KDFW.
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Officers did not immediately specify that evidence showed he killed her. They did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for more information.
Magby remains held on a $500,000 bond at the Tarrant County Jail for a count of murder, records show.
“Our hearts are shattered by the sudden and senseless loss of our precious Kim,” her family said in a statement, according to KDFW. “Nothing will ever replace her beautiful smile, sharp and funny wit, and the wonderful way she made us feel. We love you Kim always and forever and will not rest until justice is done.”
“She was always enthusiastic,” Leigh Davis, president of the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, told the outlet. “She was always somebody that always came in wanting to work hard, wanting to do well for her clients.”
Law&Crime reached out to her office, Knapp & Associates Law Firm. They were about to go to her memorial service, Lenny Betly told us. It was not a large firm; she was a friend to everyone who worked there, he said.
“She was just a wonder person and a fantastic attorney,” he said.
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