Murder-suicide claims Christie team member, spouse

The daughter of a prominent New Jersey Republican Party leader who was killed by her husband before he committed suicide says her parents were experiencing “enormous stress” in recent weeks.

Lorraine “Lori” Bramhall tells The Daily Record of Parsippany that John Bramhall believed his wife of 54 years was suffering from dementia.

She says her estranged father had obtained domestic violence restraining orders against her and three of her adult children Wednesday, the day before her parents died. Those orders were dismissed Friday.

Joan Bramhall was a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s transition team. The former Morris County clerk was well-known in Republican political circles and retired in December.

In a statement, Christie hailed Bramhall as an “outstanding public servant but an even better person.”