Deputies: Hilliard man kills wife, self

HILLIARD, Fla. – The Nassau County Sheriff's Office says it appears a man shot and killed his wife of 19 years, then killed himself in a murder-suicide in Hilliard on Wednesday.

Sheriff Bill Leeper said the bodies of 53-year-old Adel Hbaba and 42-year-old Aline Hbaba were found in their home on Pine Street.

Aline's mother made the discovery while the couple's three children -- ages 14, 11 and 6 -- were at school, Leeper said.

Leeper said the weapon was a rifle, and the couple was found dead in a bathroom.

Adel Hbaba, known to his friends as Eddie, was, from Tammy Makhlouf's view, a loving family man.

"I just can't imagine this. It would be way out of character," Makhlouf said. "He was from a great village. My husband grew up with him. I mean, he's just a good guy."

Makhlouf said Eddie was born in Syria and owned a local convenience store.

Two of the Hbaba's children played with one neighbor's children on a regular basis.

When asked how the neighbor would explain it to his children, he said, "Just tell them that this is an evil world and evil happens, even in small rural communities, even your neighbor."

Leeper said the Hbaba children are now with their maternal grandmother. He said the Sheriff's Office had no record of any domestic violence calls at the home.