By ELAINE SILVESTRINI
The Tampa Tribune

Audio: 911 call made by an employee of the production company
Previous Coverage

TAMPA - Before taking his life, News Channel 8 Meteorologist John Winter told his wife he had an extramarital affair and compared himself to his grandfather, who committed suicide earlier, according to records released today by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Winter’s friend, News Channel 8 technical director Bobby Fontaine, told authorities that Winter informed Fontaine and Winter’s wife, Karen, about an affair with a woman who worked at the production company he and Winter owned together, Big U Productions. Fontaine told deputies that Winter “felt he was an embarrassment and that his wife would not forgive him,” one of the reports states.

Before Winter hung up the phone, he told Fontaine the police were there and he had to go, Fontaine told deputies. When deputies got inside Winter’s house on Tealwater Place in Lithia, they heard the sound of a gunshot and then discovered him dead with the gun still in his hand, according to the records.

Fontaine said he was called by another employee at the production company he and Winter owned together, Big U Productions. The employee said she had just hung up with Winter and he sounded suicidal.

Fontaine decided to go to Winter’s house. On his way there, he was called by Karen Winter who also asked him to go to the house. Then, he was called by Winter, who wanted to do a three-way call with his wife.

Fontaine told deputies that Winter said he wanted to end it all. Fontaine and Karen Winter tried to talk him out of it and told him he could get through this, the report says. Winter talked about his grandfather, “Bop-pop” who had committed suicide a year and a half ago, and said “if it was good enough for Bop-pop, it was good enough for him,” the report says.

Fontaine had a relative who had recently committed suicide, the report says, and Winter “knew Mr. Fontaine’s feelings on suicide and that’s why he was trying to talk him out of it,” the report says.

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