Just 72 days after they tied the knot at the Lancaster County courthouse in Nebraska, Rex Goodell, 26, tragically took his own life after gunning down his wife, Emily Goodell, 23, and Hayes Morgheim, 23, a man she had recently begun dating.
It is believed that Rex tracked Emily’s phone to the home of Morgheim’s mother in Grand Island, where the shooting occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning. Emily had asked Hayes to drive her to his mother’s home from Lincoln as she feared for her safety at home with Rex. It was the first time that Morgheim’s mother and her fiancé had the opportunity to meet Emily.
At around 2:15 a.m. Rex gunned down Hayes outside the residence and then made his way inside to find and shoot Emily. He then realized that police were getting closer and took his own life. On his Facebook page Rex wrote that he was a “Husband and Father of 2 wonderful kids, 2 cats, American Staffordshire Terrier and Chocolate Lab” and posted several messages expressing his appreciation for Emily.
In July he referred to himself as the “Clyde to her Bonnie” and praised her as his “soulmate” and “rock” while in October he thanked her for going to a shooting range with him. Hayes Morgheim’s obituary stated that his wake will be held on Friday and a celebration of his life will follow the next day.