Melissa Fay Calumpit, along with her mother Rosalie Lynn Morris, are accused of teaming up to kill Melissa’s estranged husband Travis Haywood Calumpit at an Idaho campground in July. Travis was found dead with a gunshot wound to the chest at a campsite near the Snake River and Oregon border. Melissa lured Travis to the campground under the guise of reconciling their relationship, but instead, she allegedly shot him as part of her mother’s plan.
Travis had told his stepfather that he planned to meet with Melissa in the hopes of reconciling their relationship and going camping together. However, Melissa reportedly led him to a secluded spot and killed him. The police suspected Melissa after conducting a phone interview with her where she made incriminating statements and showed knowledge of details about the homicide that were not made public. Melissa initially denied involvement but changed her story once shown dashcam footage from Travis’s car.
Melissa initially claimed self-defense, stating that Travis raped her at the campsite. However, her story changed multiple times, ultimately claiming she hit Travis with a rock and shot him when he charged at her. Morris, Melissa’s mother, allegedly suggested the murder was her idea and that Melissa killed Travis to avoid Morris getting in trouble. Morris claimed that she planned to be the one to kill Travis but Melissa wanted to come along. Morris described Travis as an abusive drug addict with mental health issues and compared killing him to putting down a dog to save livestock.
After killing Travis, Melissa and Morris disposed of the gun and Travis’s cellphone in a reservoir. Melissa admitted to staying at the scene long enough to hear Travis ask why she shot him, to which she responded with an apology and saying she loved him. Both Melissa and Morris were charged with first-degree murder and destruction of evidence, with Morris also facing liability for murder based on an aiding and abetting theory. They are being held on a $2 million bond.
The case involves a bizarre and tragic story of a wife and her mother teaming up to kill the wife’s estranged husband. The details of the murder and the involvement of both Melissa and Morris paint a disturbing picture of premeditated violence and deception. Melissa’s changing stories and Morris’s complicity in the crime highlight the complex web of relationships and motives that led to Travis’s death. The family meeting where they allegedly conspired to kill Travis adds another layer of calculated planning to the crime.
The fact that Melissa and Morris were willing to go to such lengths to plan and carry out Travis’s murder raises questions about their motives and the depths of the dysfunction within their family dynamic. The brutality of their actions, as well as their attempt to cover up the crime by disposing of evidence, shows a callous disregard for human life. The details of Travis’s final moments and his dying words add a poignant and tragic element to the story, underscoring the devastating impact of their actions on everyone involved. Ultimately, the case represents a chilling example of domestic violence and familial betrayal that led to a senseless loss of life.
