A young beautician has been gunned down by her ex-husband in an apparent murdr-suic!de amid a bitter custody battle over their young children. Meridian Thomas Woodson, a 28-year-old mom was found de@d inside her apartment in Elmwood, Louisiana, on Thursday by police who were called to a disturbance, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office. Officers then found the suspect vehicle in a nearby parking lot where the slain moms musclebound ex-husband, Kody Woodson, 30, was suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died of his injuries. The pair had been fighting over custody of their kids Paisley, 4, and Lileigh, 7 and were scheduled to attend a hearing on June 18, according to court records obtained by WDSU. The former husband and wife had been engaged in a years-long legal battle, and Meridian had previously accused Kody of abusing her and threatening her with a gun, records show. Meridian claimed that Kody had physically attacked her after she told him she wanted a divorce in January 2024, court records show. A few weeks later, he reportedly grabbed her phone from her hand [and] grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground, after flying into a jealous rage, Meridian wrote in her divorce petition. In a separate incident, Meridian claimed she heard the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked, before finding Kody with a gun inside the apartment, records show. Kody reportedly told Meridian, Youre making me hurt you, you always make me hurt you, during a separate argument, according to the filing. The former husband denied many of the allegations and accused Meridian of violent behavior in his own court filing. He said Meridian had a history of choking, slapping, scratching, [and] biting him in his answer and counterclaim. Kody referenced an incident on Feb. 27, 2024, when Meridian was arrested over a violent argument in front of their two children. Meridian claimed she was acting in self-defense and said Kodys evidence to the police was taken out of context, her court filing shows. Meridian was a light in everyones life, an online fundraiser reads, adding that she was a second mom to many of her 23 siblings. The investigation remains ongoing, the sheriffs office said. The post Woman shot de@d by ex-husband in murdr-suic!de during bitter custody battle over their kids appeared first on TIME.I.NG.