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Sandra Yi ReportingA couple accused of killing a Tennessee lawman is no longer on the run. Federal marshals arrested Jennifer and George Hyatte in a hotel room in Ohio Wednesday night.
Authorities launched a massive manhunt for the pair Tuesday after Jennifer Hyatte shot and killed a corrections officer outside a Tennessee courthouse. She and her inmate husband then drove off.
Jennifer Hyatte was injured in the gunfight. She'll be treated before going to jail. Her husband is already there. Both are awaiting extradition.
We've learned the suspected shooter, Jennifer Hyatte, has strong ties to Utah. She has family and friends here, including her ex-husband and three children.
Eli Gourdin is feeling a range of emotions. He says he's shocked and devastated that his ex-wife was involved in the deadly courthouse shooting. He and Jennifer Hyatte were married for seven years and they have three children together.
Gourdin last talked to his ex-wife on Monday night. That was the night before the shooting. She told him that her husband, George Hyatte, was going to be released from prison the next day. Gourdin didn't think anything of it. He knew that George Hyatte was in prison, but he didn't know the man was serving a 35 year sentence.
Gourdin says he knew Jennifer was in love with him, "head over heels", he said. Gourdin believes George Hyatte had some kind of control over his wife.
Eli Gourdin, Ex-husband: "I really think it’s his influence. Obviously something has happened, because that’s not the person that i was married to. She was a loving mother, a loving wife. We just went our separate ways. She loves her kids, i know she does.”
He told us those things just moments before the couple was caught in Ohio. Eli Gourdin says his biggest concern now is the couple's three children, ages 9, 11, and 12. He wants Jennifer to know that they're safe.
Jennifer Hyatte is a 1992 graduate of West Jordan High School. Her parents are here in Utah. The US Marshals here have been in touch with them. They tell us her family is devastated.
