Estranged Husband Arrested After Wife, Her Friend Murdered

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (MyFox Atlanta) – The estranged husband of one of the two women murdered in a DeKalb County home Sunday was arrested in the case. Thirty-four-year-old Demetrius Russell was charged with two counts of murder. Police said Russell and his wife were separated.
The two women were killed early Sunday morning in their Decatur home, leaving six children without their mothers. Police suspect the children were at the home on Eastwood Avenue during the double murder.

Gun shots woke neighbor Charlotte Hodge just after 5:00 a.m. Sunday. Hodge said at first she worried about her husband.
"I thought [someone] was shooting at him, trying to rob him this morning," Hodge said.

The shots Hodge heard actually came from next door.

Investigators said 24-year-old Victoria Renfroe and 27-year-old Andrea Smith were shot and killed in their Decatur home.

Calls to 911 alerted police to the shooting.

"When officers arrived, they noticed that the front door was ajar and went in to investigate. That's when they found the two women shot," said Mekka Parish of the DeKalb County Police Department.

Authorities said at the time of the shooting, the victims' six children were inside the home. The kids weren't hurt and were later taken to a neighbor's home.

Investigators did not say if the children witnessed the killings.

Neighbor James Kates said the victims were always friendly and loved their children.