Corey John Lyons faces charges of homicide in connection with the shooting deaths of Daniel Patrick Lyons, 55, and Barbara Lorene Scharton, 48, who were found dead in their recently rebuilt home at 621 Aurora Ave., authorities said.
Although police officials said they are still investigating the motive for the shooting, Daniel Lyons had filed a civil lawsuit against his brother in October 2008, according to court records.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the quiet Mesa neighborhood at approximately 1:28 a.m. and learned en route that five to six shots had been heard by neighbors along with the sound of breaking glass, Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte said.
Upon arrival, officers noticed a broken window on the top floor of the home. After obtaining the cell phone numbers of the residents, police made several unsuccessful calls before bringing in the SWAT team.
Officers forced entry into the home at approximately 6:20 a.m. and discovered the two victims dead from gunshot wounds.
“It was a very gruesome scene,” Sgt. Mike McGrew said.
The victims were discovered in two separate areas of the home, he said, one upstairs and one downstairs.
Detectives tracked down Corey Lyons near his home at approximately 9 a.m. and brought him in for questioning, Duarte said. Their investigation led them to arrest the 50-year-old on suspicion of homicide.
“It was quick work done by the detectives,” Duarte said.
He declined to release any information about the type of gun used in the shooting, but did note that authorities had yet to recover a weapon.
He also deflected questions about any possible motives. Court officials confirmed that Daniel Lyons had filed a civil case against his brother last year alleging a variety of misdeeds, including fraud and misrepresentation.
The lawsuit alleged that Corey Lyons had been extorting money after being contracted to rebuild the couple’s home on the Mesa through his construction company, according to reports by the Santa Barbara Independent.
The lawsuit had been set for trial confirmation in August, according to court records. Scharton is listed as the attorney for her husband and apparently planned to represent him in court, officials said.
Daniel Lyons and Scharton both practiced law — Lyons as a senior partner with the Fresno-based law firm of McCormick Barstow and Scharton as a former prosecutor with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
“You would probably not find a harder worker out there,” Ronald Ballecer, marketing director for McCormick Barstow, said of Lyons. “He spent a lot of time in the office.”
Attempts to contact officials at the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office were not successful, but Ballecer said Scharton had been described to him as a tenacious and well-respected litigator.
“Dan and his wife enjoyed life to the fullest,” he said. “That’s probably the reason they built their home in Santa Barbara. … I know that he loved his wife very, very much.”
Ballecer said they maintained their primary home in Fresno, even though Lyons managed the law firm’s Santa Barbara office at 27 W. Anapamu St., which handles cases from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles counties.
Lyons joined the law firm in 1980, the same year he earned a law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law and passed the bar examination. He also earned a degree in business administration from CSU Chico, according to the law firm’s Web site.
“We are devastated at the loss of Dan and Barbara,” according to a statement released by McCormick Barstow. “To their families, we extend our thoughts and support at this very difficult time.”
The couple purchased the home at 621 Aurora Ave. in 2004 and lived there part-time, several neighbors said. They had caused a bit of a stir when they rebuilt the home, one neighbor said, pointing out how the austere, modern look of the muted-gray structure stands out in the neighborhood of mainly one-story traditional houses.
Forensic investigators could be seen working throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, their forms barely visible through the shattered window leading to a balcony on the top floor.
A curtain in the window bore signs of violence, with an apparent gunshot hole and a small rip visible as it flapped in the breeze.