A bloodthirsty wife and her mother are accused of conspiring to gun down a younger woman’s husband at an Idaho campsite, in an act police say they liken to “killing a dog to save livestock.”
According to an arrest affidavit, Melissa Faye Calumpitt, 35, lured her twice-estranged husband, Travis Haywood Calumpitt, 37, out on July 12 in what the victim thought was the first step in rekindling their legendary romance.
Travis Calumpitt was found with a gunshot wound to the chest “face down, with his feet toward the river and bleeding on his left side” at Martin’s Landing, a 60-acre campground near the Snake River and the Oregon state line, according to documents.
Earlier in the day, Travis had told his father-in-law that he planned to meet up with his estranged wife at the campsite “in the hopes of repairing their relationship and going camping together.”
Instead, Melissa Calumpitt allegedly took the father of her three children to a secluded location and killed him as part of a plan planned by her mother, Rosalie Lynn Morris.
Police became suspicious of the widow after a telephone interview revealed that she “made multiple incriminating statements during the investigation that were inconsistent with the evidence, leading investigators to believe she had detailed knowledge of details of the murder that were not known to the public.”
Melissa Calumpitt initially denied any involvement in the incident, claiming she and her mother were out for a drive in her home state of Nevada, but changed her tune after police showed them dashcam footage from Travis Calumpitt’s car that showed his estranged wife at the scene.
According to the affidavit, she admitted to killing her husband but initially tried to claim she acted in self-defense because he had raped her at the campsite.
The suspect said the two had previously been married and divorced, then remarried, but separated again due to repeated abuse by Travis Calumpit.
“Her story changed several times. Eventually she stated she had a .380 caliber pistol in her pocket and that she hit Travis in the head with a rock and then shot him when he lunged at her,” the document states.
“In one incident, Melissa stated that Travis took her gun and loaded a bullet into the chamber. She made no statements to indicate that Travis threatened her with the gun.”
According to an arrest affidavit, Morris appeared to try to save his daughter by suggesting he planned the murder.
She told police that the day before the bloody incident, she had held a family meeting at her home, attended by two other unnamed adults, where they had been conspiring “about how to get rid of Travis for good.”
“She stated she had been looking around for an unregistered firearm to use in the murder and was planning on doing it herself, but that Melissa wanted to tag along,” the affidavit states. “Rosalie believed that Melissa had killed Travis to keep her out of trouble.”
According to her mother, an hour after Melissa and Travis Calumpit met, Morris was hiding in a detached house when she heard them screaming and gunfire.
According to Morris’ defense, Melissa Calumpitt hit Travis Calumpitt with a rock, rendering him “unconscious,” and Travis lunged at his wife before she pulled the trigger.
“Rosalie described Travis as an abuser, a drug addict and someone who suffered from mental illness,” police allege. “Rosalie decided she had to kill Travis and described it as the same as trying to kill a dog to save livestock.”
The mother and daughter duo then fled, allegedly stopping along the way to throw the gun and Travis Calumpit’s cellphone into a reservoir.
But the cold-blooded wife stayed there longer to hear her dying husband’s final words.
“Melissa stated that after shooting Travis, he asked, ‘Why?’ to which Melissa responded, ‘I’m sorry and I love you,'” the documents state.
Melissa Calumpitt and Morris are each charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Morris is also found liable for murder under an accessory theory.
Both are being held on $2 million bail.
