Shraman Mitra
The generally peaceful city of Owensville in Missouri witnessed a terrifying murder on August 4, 2016, when Inez Tulk was shot to death inside a motel room. Interestingly, when first responders reached the spot, they also found her estranged husband, Toby Gregory, who was bleeding from a bullet wound in his lower jaw. Netflix’s ‘I Am A Killer: Serving Time’ chronicles the heinous crime and showcases how the police were ultimately able to pin the crime on Toby.
Who Is Toby Gregory?
A resident of Owensville in Missouri, Toby Gregory grew up in a close-knit and loving family. However, his troubles began when he signed up for the Marines and found himself living away from home for the first time in his life. The show mentioned that when Toby was in the Marines, a female officer forced herself onto him and even sexually assaulted him from time to time. Although Toby complained about the assault, he alleges that his seniors did not take the complaint seriously. Hence, the purported abuse continued, and with time, Toby developed severe PTSD.
According to the show, even with his weakened medical condition, Toby wasn’t sent back home but deployed to serve in Afghanistan. While there, Toby met and got quite close to fellow soldier Inez Tulk. One thing led to another, and the two got married. Although Inez and Toby were quite happy together initially, the latter soon found it difficult to adjust to civilian life, which spelled doom for the couple. Eventually, after not being able to see eye to eye for a long time, they decided the best decision would be to separate and get a divorce.
Interestingly, Inez and Toby also shared a child named Blake, who soon became the center of a massive custody battle. In August 2016, Inez traveled to Owensville in order to take care of a few divorce documents; she was staying in a motel in the city. Suddenly, on August 4, Toby arrived at the motel in a rage and broke into Inez’s room before shooting her once at point-blank range. The 30-year-old immediately ran for the door, but Toby shot her four times from behind, killing her on the spot.
Toby then went on to kick Inez’s body before shooting himself in the jaw. Although the plan was to commit a murder-suicide, Toby was still alive when first responders reached the scene, and they immediately transported him to a local hospital, where doctors were able to save his life. Unfortunately, Inez wasn’t so lucky as she was declared dead on the spot, and an autopsy confirmed that the bullet wounds claimed her life.
Toby Gregory is in Jail Today
Since eye-witnesses and CCTV cameras caught Toby Gregory breaking into the room and shooting his estranged wife, Inez, the police quickly charged him with first-degree murder. With time, they also learned about his rocky relationship with Inez and how the divorce, as well as the custody battle, weighed heavy on his mind. Toby’s family insisted he wasn’t in his right mind during the murder and was driven by a PTSD episode. Inez’s family was unwilling to accept that. As per the show, the prosecution realized the defense might use it to win the case.
Hence, they insisted Toby agree to a plea deal wherein he would plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a lenient sentence. Eventually, when produced in court, Toby did plead guilty to second-degree murder, and the first-degree murder charge was dropped, as stated on the show. As a result, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2016. Currently, Toby is not eligible for parole and is spending his days at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Read More: Inez Tulk Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
