North Carolina Nursing Home Scene of Gunman's Wrath - UPDATE
Robert "Pee Wee" Stewart
The man suspected of killing eight people at a nursing home in North Carolina remains in a prison hospital after being shot in the chest by a police officer during his rampage. Robert "Pee Wee" Stewart, a six-foot-two, three hundred pound painter, entered Pinelake Health and Rehab in Carthage, North Carolina and opened fire on defenseless residents and employees inside, killing eight before being taken down by a bullet shot by a Carthage police officer.
Detectives investigating the shootings have been unable to conduct a complete interview with Stewart, but suspect the shootings were not random. They believe Stewart's rampage is connected to his recent separation from his wife, Wanda Luck, who works at the facility as a nursing assistant. The couple's relationship has been on and off over the years and in between other failed marriages. The couple first married in 1983, divorcing three years later. Over the years, they both were involved in other marriages before reuniting and remarrying in 2002.
Recently, Stewart had been telling family members that he had cancer and that he was preparing for a long trip and to "go away".
Stewart appeared in court on March 30, 2009 on eight counts of first-degree murder and one charge of felony assault of a law enforcement officer. He is scheduled to appear in court again next month.
