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Auto Theft Probe May Explain Murder-Suicide

WALDORF, Md. (AP) -- Police in Charles County say an ongoing auto theft probe may have led to a murder-suicide that left a 24-year-old teacher and his neighbor dead.

Online court records show Robert Becker, 22, and Christopher Hoefert, 24, were both facing auto theft
charges. They were scheduled for trial Friday in Charles County District Court.

On Tuesday afternoon, police say Becker fatally shot Hoefert at an intersection in White Plains, then shot and killed himself.

Hoefert was a technology education teacher and track coach at North Point High School.

The two men lived on the same block in La Plata. The Charles County Sheriff's Office says investigators are looking into the possibility that Becker killed Hoefert because of the auto theft investigation.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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