MARTINSVILLE - A murder-suicide that rocked the Axton community in Henry County appears to have been planned, Sheriff Lane Perry said this afternoon.

William Ronald Carter, 56, left a letter "putting his final affairs in order" before investigators believe he  fatally shot his wife Bonnie and son William Jr. and then wounded his youngest son Timothy early Sunday. William Carter then turned the gun on himself, according to authorities.

Timothy Carter, 22, remains in fair condition at Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. He is expected to recover from his wounds, Perry said.

Investigators are waiting for the Timothy Carter's condition to improve before interviewing him again.
As for insight into a motive, Perry said investigators hope interviews with other family members will shed some light on that.

"We've heard three or four different reasons," Perry said. "But we're not sure what caused him to do this."

Investigators continue to piece together a rough timeline of events. Based on a crime scene investigation, William Carter Jr. was shot first, Perry said. The elder Carter then shot his wife and waited for Timothy Carter to arrive from Radford.

The deaths came as a shock to the Axton community. Monday afternoon residents slowly drove past the Carter home on Wilhaven Lane. Others stopped into The Rockhouse convenience store nearby and expressed their shock and connections to Carter, who several referred to as nice man.

Henry County had two other homicides this year prior to the Axton shootings.