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Kaufman County DA Mike McLelland And Wife Found Dead

Forney, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead inside their Forney home.

Lt. Justin Lewis with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Dept confirmed to 1080 KRLD that both DA McLelland and his wife Cynthia were murdered.

Because of the location of the home, in an unincorporated area of Kaufman County,  the crime falls under the jurisdiction of the sheriff's office.

Sources tell CBS 11 news that the DA was shot multiple times with what is believed to be an assault rifle while Cynthia McLelland was only shot once. Sources also say that there were no signs of forced entry.

Kaufman Police Department Chief Chris Aulbaugh said law enforcement officials will be looking at the latest shooting to see if it is related to the murder of Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse.

Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County. After Hasse was killed, McLelland had said Hasse was one of 12 attorneys on his staff, all of whom handle hundreds of cases at a time.

Kaufman flags
Flags were lowered to half-staff at the Kaufman Co Sheriff's office. (credit: LP Phillips/KRLD NewsRadio 1080)

The FBI in Dallas and Denver have been comparing the Hasse shooting to that of Tom Clements, executive director of Colorado Prisons Bureau. Clements was shot and killed as he answered the front door of his home on March 19.

Federal and local investigators are now on the scene. The FBI, U.S. Marshalls and TX Rangers are increasing security around all Kaufman Co. officials.

McLelland graduated from the University of Texas before a 23-year career in the Army, according to the website for the district attorney's office. He later earned his law degree from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

The McLellend's have five children, two daughters and three sons. One son is a Dallas Police Officer.

We will have more on this story as it develops.

(© Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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