Three weeks after 27-year-old Ellen Marie Buffington of Huntsville was murdered at a local apartment complex, Huntsville detectives are still working to tie up loose ends in the case against Buffington’s estranged husband, 38-year-old Samuel Vanparys Jr.
On June 15, the official autopsy report completed by a Dallas Medical Examiner was released to Huntsville police, officially ruling Buffington’s death as a homicide, and listing the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
According to Detective Eric Scott of the HPD, Buffington received approximately 18 entrance wounds to her torso, though it is possible that some of the bullets caused multiple wounds.
“The ME told me that it’s likely that some of the bullets went in, and then out, and then in again due to the way her body was when she was shot,” Scott said. “Based on the number of casing we recovered at the scene, we’re placing the number of shots fired at 13.”
Buffington was shot multiple times by Vanparys in his apartment shortly before noon on June 4. The couple was still legally married at the time of the murder, but had been separated for more than a year.
Vanparys surrendered to police just moments after shooting Buffington, and confessed to the crime, saying he had been planning it for several days. At the time of Buffington’s murder, Vanparys was allowed only brief, supervised visits with the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, a factor that Vanparys attributed to his decision to murder his wife.
According to Sgt. Jim Barnes of the HPD, the 4-year-old is now in the care of Buffington’s family.
As the investigation nears its completion, both detectives and personnel at the Walker County Criminal District Attorney’s Office are preparing to take Vanparys case before a grand jury.
“At this point the investigation is being completed and I expect to get the offense reports over here soon,” said Walker County District Attorney David Weeks. “At that time we’ll evaluate and determine and take it through grand jury. I would expect the earliest it would go to grand jury would be some time in June.”
The current charge against Vanparys is officially listed as first degree murder, but the possibility has been suggested both at the DA’s and at the HPD that the charge could be upgraded to capital murder in the future.
“We would have to look at that,” Weeks said. “That might be a possibility but not until I get the reports in hand and see where the evidence leads. At this point it’s murder and we will certainly consider all possible charges that the evidence allows for.”
“If there’s any way to get (capital murder), we will, but the circumstances surrounding it might not be enough to get capital murder at this time,” Barnes said. “If something changes, we’ll go for the highest charges we can, but as it stands we’re just going for first degree felony murder.”
As of June 18, Vanparys is still being held at the Walker County Jail.
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