Following Five-Hour Standoff, Realtor's Ex-Husband Charged in Her Murder

The man who was locked in a dramatic five-hour standoff with Fort Worth SWAT officers on Tuesday has been charged with the murder of his ex-wife.

Fort Worth police said they have charged John St. Angelo with the murder of Suzanne Parsons, a Realtor that was found stabbed to death in her North Fort Worth office on Monday.

Police found Parsons body at her office in the 4200 block Heritage Trace Parkway after responding to a cutting call. That location is less than five miles from the home where St. Angelo staged his standoff on Tuesday.

The standoff began after a tip was received by police stating there was a man inside a home on the 6800 block of Permian Lane that may have been responsible for Parsons' death.

With the home surrounded and access to part of the neighborhood blocked off, police said St. Angelo held officers at bay for five hours while occasionally firing shots at officers and dodging canisters of tear gas.

St. Angelo eventually surrendered and was dragged from the home at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday after police said he shot himself in the face and the leg.

Cpl. Tracey Knight with the Fort Worth Police Department said that in addition to the charge in Parsons' murder, St. Angelo could face additional charges due to the violent standoff.

Records: Victim, Suspect Had Estranged Relationship

A search of Tarrant County marriage records shows that two people named John St. Angelo and Suzanne Parsons were married on July 2, 2010.

On May 20, 2013, a Tarrant County civil court granted Parsons a temporary restraining order against St. Angelo. On Nov. 21, 2013, the order expired when Parsons, who represented herself, did not show up for a routine court hearing that would have kept the restraining order active.

The Associated Press reports the couple filed for divorce in May and was finalized on Dec. 16.  The AP also reports that St. Angelo was arrested in June for assaulting Parsons' brother with a hammer.

Neighbors Aware of Troubled Marriage

Neighbors where Suzanne Parsons lived in north Fort Worth were well aware of the marital issues brewing between her and John St. Angelo.

Rick Rawe lives several houses down and in the summer of 2012 had to call police because he could hear St. Angelo cursing loudly inside the garage, which was partially open.

"He was ranting and raving with heavy cussing," Rawe said. "That was the first time I encountered him. And then after that he talked to me, he apologized and we talked. He said that the marriage wasn’t working out and that he had to get out."

Rawe says St. Angelo told him money was a major problem in the relationship. He also informed Rawe of a physical altercation with Parsons that happened on a vacation to Mexico.

"He got drinking, things got out of hand and he said he hit her, " Rawe said. "And then I guess from what he was telling me, she called the police and he ended up in a Mexican jail for a few days and she came straight on home."

Not long after that Parsons said she was getting a restraining order and court records reveal she got one in May 2013.

"I talked with her, just ask her how she's doing," Rawe said. "She said 'fine, got a restraining order against him, hopefully when he gets out of here it will calm down.' Which it did."

Another neighbor told NBC 5 off camera that they too had to call the police on the home within the last year. 

Prior to Monday the last time police were called to Parsons home was last Saturday, two days before her murder. According to a Fort Worth police report, the home owner called police because she suspected a prowler was outside. Officers could not find anyone when they arrived, but later evidence of an arson was found in the backyard.

According to a synopsis on the report, a Fort Worth Fire arson investigator determined the fire had to be started by a human. 

The report reads, in part:  "The fire caused damage to the pool skimmer, pole and concrete patio; the concrete patio is next to the house. " The investigator says an unidentified suspect lit some paper which started the small fire.

Two days later, several Tarrant County Sherrif's deputies arrived at the home to assist Fort Worth Police. Rawe said the first deputy at the home had his weapon drawn as he searched around the home. The deputies found nothing. The home, while in Fort Worth, is listed with a Haslet address.

St. Angelo now resides a few miles north of Parsons' home in Haslet. Neighbors there said they had hardly interacted with St. Angelo, only saying "hello" as they passed by each other. Residents there say police blocked off the area as they searched the home on Monday night.

NBC 5's Chris Van Horne contributed to this report.