A high school security guard shot his wife dead before turning the gun on himself just hours after he tried out for a spot on Family Feud without her, it has been claimed.

Marcus Crosby, 36, from Joliet Township, Illinois, had reportedly auditioned for the popular game show on Sunday with several family members, however his wife, Kearra Hosey, 35, was not among them.

Police, called to give reports of shots being fired at 12:08am, found the newlywed couple in a bedroom. Both had suffered fatal gunshot wounds, sheriff’s police spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

Gunned down: Marcus Crosby and his wife Kearra Hosey were found dead in the bedroom of their home in an apparent murder-suicide

They were pronounced dead at the scene with an autopsy showing Hosey had died from multiple gunshot wounds and Crosby from a single shot.

A relative of Crosby’s, who also lived in the house, told police the couple had been arguing when Crosby took out a handgun and shot Hosey before killing himself, Hoffmeyer said.

Another resident at the address, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that Crosby had tried out for Family Feud however a spokesman for the show said they were not in a position to comment.

The pair are understood to have had a stormy relationship. In September last year Crosby was arrested after pushing Hosey down the stairs during a heated dispute when she was moving house. Both he and Hosey then filed for orders of protection against one another.

Mr Crosby had reportedly tried out for a spot on the popular gameshow Family Feud hours before the shooting

She told authorities that Crosby had threatened to shoot her and that he kept a handgun in his dresser drawer and a Taser in his bedroom, court records show.

Crosby’s request for a protection order was refused while Hosey’s was granted but dismissed three weeks later at her request, according to court records.

In July police were called to their home on a domestic dispute call, but no arrests were made.

Crosby, who worked at the Joliet Township High School, had a previous conviction for vandalism from 1998 and was found not guilty of an assault charge in 2007.

He was arrested for criminal sexual assault in 2004 but it failed to go to trial as the alleged victim was ‘unavailable’.

In a statement, the school said: ‘This was a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with all who were affected. Personnel matters are confidential and employee information cannot be disclosed.’

Marilyn Coutee, Hosey’s aunt, said the couple, who married in Las Vegas in June had been ‘on and off’ for some time, but that the family had not sensed anything was amiss.

She told the Joliet Herald-News: ‘They had their ups and downs, like any marriage. But nothing this extreme.’

Read more: Daily Mail