Police looking into Upham deaths
By JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.comUPHAM The death of an Upham man and woman Friday night is under investigation as a possible murder-suicide, according to the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.
Nolan Hett and Julie Lawless, both 38, were found dead in their rented home in rural Upham by friends, who reported the deaths to the sheriff's department about midnight.
McHenry County Sheriff Marv Sola said the case is being treated as a domestic violence incident but the details remain under investigation.
What was known Saturday is that the two had visited a bar near their home Friday night, where others reported the couple showed no indication of any type of conflict between them. Concerns arose later that night after Hett called a friend, which prompted the check that led to the discovery of their deaths.
Lawless was shot in the back of a leg and her stomach, while Hett was shot once in the chest, Sola said. Autopsies are being conducted in Bismarck.
Hett was a railroad employee who had lived in the Upham area about 10 years. Lawless was a home-health worker who moved into the area later.
The sheriff's department had no records available Saturday to indicate whether officers had responded to domestic violence calls at the residence previously, but Sola recalled no department contact with either in the past.
