When 57-year-old Shelly Titchener was reported missing in February her husband, Paul Titchener, invited KRON4 to interview him at their home. The two had gone through their share of marital troubles, filing once for divorce but never finalizing it. Paul moved away, then back into the family's garage to save funds for their two boys' education. Asked what he might do if Shelly never came home, he said, "I lost both my parents, and that's a very difficult thing, and so I've gone through with them and shared with them how that feels and what to do to deal with it."

In hindsight, his words are telling. After a dismembered torso was discovered near the Dumbarton Pier and Paul was named a person of interest in the case, he jumped off the Bay Bridge to his death.

In March the torso was identified as having belonged to Shelly according to CBS 5, and Paul was named a suspect in her murder. Finally this week Brisbane police have put speculation to rest, reporting that they believe Paul acted alone in killing his wife and unspooling their theory of a murder-suicide to ABC7.

The police suspect the murder was not premeditated — a telephone conversation indicates Paul was going to bring Shelly a cell phone charger. What happened next may never be known, but it appears that Paul's death was suicide "either out of remorse or the belief that he would be identified as the killer." Police further explained to the news channel that, "This opinion is based on Paul drafting a will in the early morning hours of the 13th, the money transferred to the son's accounts." In fact, it's a bit more complicated: Paul appears to have first deposited money with his sons, then changed his mind, planning to dispose of Shelly's body and report her missing. Paul then took the funds back that he had transferred to his sons. But then he was named a person of interest, the torso was found, and he reverted to his original plan, or so police believe.

The Titchener's were married for 24 years. Police tell the Mercury News that "we are sensitive to the effect this case has had on remaining family members. As such, we will not be commenting any further about this case.”