Michael Ochse probably believed he had nothing to lose when he killed his live-in girlfriend Tuesday and then turned the gun on himself, according to a friend and co-worker.
Ochse often wondered aloud whether God would forgive him for molesting three children, said Doug Canada, a manager at Auto Parts Depot, where Ochse had worked for 18 months."We had discussions about it (the sexual-abuse charges against Ochse) and about God. . . . I told him he could be saved. But I don't think he took comfort in any of it. He was searching for answers and really couldn't find anything," Canada said.
Days before she was shot to death, 22-year-old Lisa Lee ordered Ochse to move out.
Tuesday night, he shot her twice, then killed himself by firing a slug from the 9mm Ruger into his own head.
"Depending on who you talk to, he was the nicest guy in the world or the biggest jerk in the world," Midvale detective Cortney Nelson said.
Ochse was charged in January with two counts of rape of a child, a first-degree felony; three counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony; and one count of lewdness involving a child, a Class A misdemeanor.
The daughter of Ochse's previous girlfriend told investigators the man had attempted intercourse with her on two occasions between June and August 1994 at her mother's Sandy home.
The girl's sister said Ochse had asked her to touch him inappropriately on occasions between June 1992 and August 1994, the document states. Another sister described the same circumstances, starting in June 1989.
All three girls were under 14.
Ochse admitted to investigators he had wrestled with one of the girls while they both were naked and that he had masturbated in front of the three girls, the document states.
Ochse and Lee, a waitress at a Midvale eatery, lived together since the summer of 1994. It was outside their Center Street apartment Tuesday that Lee was shot in the chest and head as she tried to flee the couple's car about 5:30 p.m.
A witness told police the woman was standing by the vehicle, then came the two shots, and she fell. The neighbor heard a third shot when Ochse turned the gun on himself.
"It appears to be a pretty open and shut case," Nelson said.
"She had just told him to move out," he said. "She was well aware of what was happening (regarding the abuse charges). She helped bail him out of jail. She was tired of him, tired of the problems of dealing with him."
Canada said the pair met at work through Lee's best friend, who later wondered why the woman stayed with Ochse.
"He was kind of a womanizer, I guess you could say. At least he thought of himself that way. (Lee's friend) tried to talk her out of staying with him, but she never could," he said.
Lee had an 18-month-old son from a previous relationship. Her parents are caring for the child.