Wife allegedly fatally shot estranged husband at campground, then apologized

CANYON COUNTY, Idaho (TCN) -- A 35-year-old woman and her 59-year-old mother were arrested after the daughter allegedly shot and killed her estranged husband at a campground this month.

According to the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, on the evening of July 12, deputies responded to a camping area near the Snake and Boise rivers after receiving information about an unconscious and unresponsive male. When they arrived, they located 37-year-old Travis Haywood Calumpit deceased. The sheriff’s office said they were investigating his death as a homicide.

On July 18, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office announced they arrested Melissa Calumpit and her mother, Rosalie Morris, in connection with Travis Calumpit’s death. Court records show Melissa Calumpit is being charged with murder and destruction of evidence, while Morris is charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and destruction of evidence.

According to Melissa Calumpit’s probable cause affidavit, on the day he was shot, Travis Calumpit told his father he was going to see his estranged wife at the Martin Landing campground "in the hopes that they would reconcile their relationship and go camping together." A woman who was in the car with Travis Calumpit that same day reportedly heard him on the phone with Melissa Calumpit, who said, "Just be there. Don’t be late. It’s all or nothing."

Melissa and Travis Calumpit wed in 2010 and divorced in 2018. They got back together and remarried in 2020, but in April, Melissa Calumpit moved out because she claimed her husband was abusive to their two kids.

The affidavit says Melissa Calumpit, Morris, Morris’ husband, and Morris’ son conducted a "family meeting" on July 11 where they "talked about how to get rid of Travis for good." Morris allegedly said she was going to fatally shoot Travis Calumpit on July 12 with an unregistered gun. She reportedly wanted to drive solo, but her daughter "wanted to come along."

Morris’ probable cause affidavit alleges Melissa Calumpit wanted to tell her husband on July 12 that she was going to file for divorce.

The two women drove from their home in Nevada to Idaho for their meeting with the victim. The affidavit alleges Melissa Calumpit told Travis Calumpit to meet up with her alone and not tell anyone else about their plans. When they arrived at the campsite, Morris hid in a bathroom while Melissa Calumpit went to a secluded area with Travis Calumpit.

Melissa Calumpit allegedly provided statements to detectives that were "both incriminating, inconsistent with evidence, and led investigators to believe she had intimate knowledge of details of the homicide that were not known to the public."

She reportedly first told investigators that her husband raped her. Then, she said she hit Travis Calumpit in the head with a rock and shot him when he lunged toward her. She claimed in another version that Travis Calumpit got control of her gun and put a round in the chamber.

Travis Calumpit allegedly asked, "Why?" after she shot him. She reportedly responded, "I’m sorry. I love you," then ran away.

He was fatally shot in the chest.

Melissa Calumpit and Morris left the area and started driving back to Nevada. Melissa Calumpit reportedly tossed her SIM card out the window and dumped her phone and gun in a reservoir.

Morris told detectives Travis Calumpit was abusive, addicted to drugs, and had mental health problems. She reportedly "said she decided she had to kill Travis and compared it to putting a dog down to save livestock."

Both Morris and Calumpit’s bonds were set at $2 million.

One day before the killing, Travis Calumpit reposted an image on Facebook that said, "All I want is a clean relationship, no lies, games, secrets, just pure love." He wrote in part of the description, "Me too because now days you can’t even trust your spouse cause of all the s--t talking a deceitful bulls--t and lies all the lies made up to leave you and don’t have the nerve or anything to tell you the truth about why they’re leaving but I guess it’s easy to make a up excuses."

In another post, he called out his wife and said, "You didn’t care if I was in your life or not you just needed some excuses and lies to leave because you didn’t love me you only came back because you were afraid that I would have tried to get the kids."

He went on, "I still love you and would try as hard as I could to move mountains for you."

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