Sparks Police say autopsies performed Wednesday on both Debby and Mark Constantino show that the couple died from fatal gunshot wounds, after a series of crimes that occurred earlier this week in Reno and Sparks.
Escalera Court, Reno
Sparks Police say autopsies performed Wednesday on both Debby and Mark Constantino show that the couple died from fatal gunshot wounds, after a series of crimes that occurred earlier this week in Reno and Sparks.
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Three people are dead after a series of crimes on Tuesday that took place at a home in Reno and an apartment in Sparks.
It began when a woman returned to her home around 8:00am Tuesday, in the 2300 block of Escalera Court in North Reno, to find her male roommate dead. She called the Reno Police Department and also let them know that her other roommate, Debby Constantino, was missing and she was concerned for her safety.
As police investigated the death, they also worked to locate the missing woman. By pinging her cell phone, they found that she may be at the Courtside Garden Apartments near 15th Street and Oddie Boulevard in Sparks. When officers responded there, someone began shooting at them through the door. Through negotiations, they discovered that the Debby was inside and that she was being held hostage by her estranged husband. Sparks Police identify that man as 53-year-old Mark Constantino and say he’s the one who fired the shots at them and is suspected in the death at the north Reno home.
Negotiators from Reno and Sparks Police along with the local FBI attempted for several hours to get Mark Constantino to surrender.
Around 1:30 p.m., Sparks Police said their SWAT team made entry into the home and found Constantino and his estranged wife, who they say he kidnapped from the Reno location, dead inside the unit.
Investigators say the apartment belonged to an adult child of the former couple.
Sparks High School was placed on a precautionary code yellow lockdown during the incident.
Channel 2 News has obtained court records that show Mark and Debby Constantino had quite a violent history.
We first met Mark and Debby Constantino back in 2007. They were both paranormal investigators, specializing in EVP, Electronic Voice Phenomena, or ghost voices on tape. But according to court records, their relationship turned violent earlier this year.
We shot video with Mark and Debby Constantino back in 2007 on a ghost adventure. We met up with them several times as they attempted to speak to ghosts through Nevada and across the country. Their website, SpiritsSpeak.com shows the couple and their numerous nationwide visits to different conventions.
But how the couple appeared on camera and at events was dramatically different from the picture painted by recently obtained court records.
In march of this year Debby Constantino was arrested at a home in north Reno. According to the records she and mark were fighting over money when she scratched him. It escalated and she allegedly sliced his arm with a kitchen knife. She was charged with domestic violence and battery with a deadly weapon. She was never able to have her day in court.
Then just six weeks ago, Mark along with their daughter Raquel, allegedly went to a home, pulled Debby out of a car by the neck and then dragged her inside. Documents accuse Raquel and Mark of beating Debby to the point of breaking her nose and causing bleeding. Records say Mark then strangled her., causing her to nearly pass out.
Raquel was charged with kidnapping, domestic battery, battery and vehicle burglary.
Mark was charged with kidnapping, domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery.
We also heard from many of you on our social media sites asking why Mark Constantino was let out of jail after being accused of kidnapping Debby. In the court documents we obtained, it shows that kidnapping is usually a ‘no bail’ charge, but in this case both Mark and Raquel were granted bail by a local judge. Mark’s bail was set at $40,000, which was allowed to be paid by bond… and Raquel’s was set $30,000, also bondable.
Both Raquel and Mark were ordered to stay away from Debby Constantino.