Romance novelist, 73, who loves to write about murdering men shot local businessman dead then branded victim a 'son of a b****', cops say

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:35, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 21:49, 23 July 2026 An elderly romance author whose erotic novels feature homicidal plots has been charged with murder after she allegedly shot a Montana motel owner dead. Kyle Ann Morrow, 73, walked into the Spa Hot Springs Motel in White Sulfur Springs on July 12 and gunned down Gene Gudmundson dead, police said. She then told the front desk clerk: 'He is a son of a b****. I shot him,' according to a police booking affidavit obtained by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. The clerk walked into Gudmundson's office and found the 78-year-old lying on the floor surrounded by blood, the affidavit said. Morrow was arrested at her White Sulfur Springs home on suspicion of the killing and later charged with one count of deliberate homicide, the Meagher County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies found a collection of suicide notes in her home in which she allegedly admitted to killing the motel owner, the filing said.  Officers also allegedly seized a handgun case, a semi-full bottle of Jameson, loose cigarettes and a lighter from her car.  Morrow was previously an employee of the Spa Hot Springs Motel and the owners reportedly let her sell her books at the premises. Romance novelist Kyle Ann Morrow, 73, has been charged with shooting a motel owner dead Gene Gudmundson, 78, was found dead at his motel by a front desk clerk at the property Police said they identified Morrow as a suspect in Gudmundson's killing through surveillance footage that showed her Nissan Frontier driving away from the motel. Morrow's books often feature homicide plots Officers went to her house and found her car parked outside. She refused to open her front door for police, the affidavit said. Morrow attempted to flee the residence sometime later, but was 'physically blocked' by state troopers and sheriff's deputies, according to the filing.  She was then taken into custody and is being held in the Broadwater County Detention Center on a $1 million. Morrow is scheduled to appear in court on August 11 for a preliminary hearing. The author says she became inspired to write romance novels after reading 50 Shades of Grey.  She earned an MA in Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University in Wales in 2011, according to her author profile. She grew up on an isolated ranch in Montana and reportedly spent her days horseback riding, daydreaming and getting lost in books. Police claim Morrow told the clerk that she confessed to the killing as they probe her motives Morrow is scheduled to appear in court on August 11 for a preliminary hearing Morrow seemingly drew from her own life in her books, which she describes as a 'Montana romance with a rodeo erotica subplot.' She has published three books on Amazon, including one that opens with the narrator having a 'homicidal thought' about killing her abusive husband. Another novel sees the narrator pull a gun on a threatening man and fire a shot at his vehicle. Investigators are examining all possible motives for the grisly killing, including whether Morrow was a disgruntled employee. The repetitive inclusion of violence and death in her books is also being examined by authorities.