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Apr 23, 2008 5:21 pm US/Central

Man's History Of Violence Detailed In Documents

COLLIN COUNTY (CBS 11 News) ― A community in the Collin County town of Altoga is in disbelief after discovering more details about the death of Mary Sue Doyle.

Investigators initially thought the 54-year-old woman had died in an accidental house fire on April 19. But three days later police say her husband, Steven Michael Doyle, confessed to shooting her in the back of the head. Then, he allegedly set their home on fire in an attempted murder suicide.

According to court documents, this is not the first time Steven Doyle had been accused of murder.

Court documents show he served seven years in a Florida prison for strangling a woman on August 1, 1988. The victim was a girlfriend whom he had proposed to many times, according to documents.

During the trail, Doyle's ex-wife testified that he had a violent nature. Steven was married to Mary at the time of the crime.

Carolyn Watkins attended church with Mary Sue Doyle. When she first heard the news, Watkins said, "I got sick to my stomach."

The victim's neighbors recalled a couple that seemed madly in love until Saturday's fire. "I was in total disbelief that he could have done this," Watkins said.

Neighbors say the Doyles had financial woes in the past and had filed for bankruptcy in federal court in 2005.

"I think from there it just went down hill, their marriage and everything," said Watkins.

Watkins remembered feeling surprised by Doyle's absent of tears during the funeral.

"We thought it was odd he didn't show any emotion. We were crying when we hugged him. His daughter was there, and she was crying. But he showed no emotion at all," said Watkins. "He didn't even want to talk about her. He just talked about how hot that fire was."

Steven Doyle remains in a Collin County jail facing arson and murder charges. His bond set at $750,000.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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