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Police: Killer in Southlake shooting was going through divorce with victim

Kenneth Martin is charged with murder, and friends and family are mourning the loss of his estranged wife, Linda Martin.

FLOWER MOUND, Texas -- Police say a deadly shooting next to Southlake Town Square in broad daylight on Tuesday was domestic.

A husband going through a divorce is accused of shooting and killing his estranged wife in the street just outside the busy shopping center.

Kenneth Martin is charged with murder, and friends and family are mourning the loss of his estranged wife, Linda Martin.

Wednesday night, loved ones will gather at a park in Flower Mound for a candle vigil in Linda's honor.

Linda Martin

Southlake police say Linda Martin was sitting in her vehicle at a stoplight near the shopping center when her husband pulled behind her. They say he got out, approached the car, and shot her in the head.

She was taken to a hospital, but died from her injuries later Tuesday night.

Police say Kenneth Martin remained at the scene and was arrested without incident. He is in jail with a $250,000 bond, and he declined to speak with News 8.

On Thursday he was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail.

Just before the shooting, the Martins had left a meeting at a nearby lawyer's office. They were going through a divorce, and court records show they were in the process of dividing property.

Linda Martin was living in their Flower Mound home, and friends and neighbors say she was afraid of her estranged husband. He wasn't living there, and neighbors said she had recently hired private security protection.

Police records show that in November, there was a fight at the house between two men that resulted in one arrest.

"Obviously she knew that he wanted to get at her, because she had protection," said neighbor Linda Thornley, who has known Martin for at least five years. "He was bound and determined, evidently."

Linda Thornley

Linda Martin was a real estate agent, and a mother and grandmother who was active in the Flower Mound community.

"She was a sweetheart. She was very involved, very caring," Thornley said. "She loved her grandkids."

She was also well-known for her work advocating for a flock of peacocks that live in her neighborhood. She organized a group to protect them, and even posted "peacock crossing" signs to try to alert traffic to their presence.

"She loved them, as we all do," Thornley said. "We're really going to miss her. It's a sad situation."

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