PHOTO: CANYON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, TRAVIS CALUMPIT/ FACEBOOK
An Idaho woman, Melissa Calumpit, 35, has been charged with the murder of her estranged husband, Travis Haywood Calumpit. The charges, announced on Friday, July 19, include first-degree murder and destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence.
Calumpit’s mother, Rosalie Lynn Morris, 59, faces charges of aiding and abetting first-degree murder and aiding and abetting in the destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence. Both suspects are yet to enter pleas, and attempts to reach the Canyon County Public Defender’s Office, representing them, were unsuccessful. Preliminary hearings are set for July 26 for Calumpit and August 2 for Morris.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, Travis, 37, was discovered by two campers around 9 p.m. on July 12 at Martin Landing, a camping area near Parma. He was found “face down, feet toward the river, with blood near his left side” and had been fatally shot in the chest. Nearby, deputies found a wallet, car keys, and a pocketknife under a ball cap.
On the day of the murder, Travis allegedly told his stepfather he was meeting with Calumpit, hoping to reconcile and go camping together. A witness reported hearing Travis on the phone around 5 p.m., with a woman telling him, “Just be there. Don’t be late. It’s all or nothing.”
Calumpit, in an interview with police, revealed that she and Travis were married from 2010 to 2018, had two children, and remarried in 2020. She claimed she moved out due to Travis being physically abusive to the children and planned to inform him of her intent to divorce him on July 12.
The affidavit states, “Melissa made several statements during the investigation that were both incriminating, inconsistent with the evidence, and led investigators to believe she had intimate knowledge of details of the homicide that were not known to the public”, Idaho News reported.
Calumpit admitted to driving to the campground with her mother and instructing Travis to meet her alone. Morris allegedly hid in the campground bathroom while Calumpit met Travis at a secluded campsite. Calumpit’s story changed multiple times, but she ultimately confessed to having a .380 pistol, hitting Travis with a rock, and shooting him when he charged at her. She claimed Travis had taken her gun and racked a round into the chamber, though she did not indicate that he threatened her with the gun.
“Melissa said after she shot Travis, he asked her ‘Why?’ and she said, ‘I’m sorry. I love you.’ Then she ran away,” the affidavit recounts. Morris told investigators that Melissa said she hit Travis with a rock while he was bending down and then shot him in the chest when he lunged at her.
Following the shooting, Calumpit and her mother allegedly disposed of the gun and Travis’ cell phone in a reservoir. Both are being held on $2 million bond. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support Travis and Calumpit’s children.
