Deceased Spring Hill woman was a battered wife

By the time she died, Jackie Studer's spirits were in a freefall.

Her family said the once vibrant gym teacher made a series of bad decisions and found herself trapped in a sputtering real estate career and a toxic marriage.

Her cousin, Jack Comfort, described her as a hoarder. She owned roughly six houses and all of them were packed with items she couldn't give away or sell, he said.

She latched onto everything, including her husband, who was convicted of battering her.

Studer, 65, never seemed to know when to walk away, even after her friends and family pleaded with her. Some had given up on her.

Paramedics responded to Studer's home around noon Wednesday and discovered her body in her bedroom. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office confirmed she died from a gunshot wound.

Her husband, Robert Julig Jr., 65, called 911.

Rescue units arrived thinking it was a medical call. Deputies responded moments later and didn't leave until sundown. Yellow tape was stretched across the property at 2013 Finland Drive in plain view of motorists traveling along Spring Hill Drive.

Julig was questioned and released that day, said Sgt. Donna Black, a sheriff's spokeswoman. Detectives are still investigating. Toxicology reports likely won't be completed until next month, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

"She had a lonely heart," said Comfort, who last saw his cousin six weeks ago.

Studer visited Comfort and his wife at their home in Largo. Judging from Studer's appearance, the couple assumed the worst. They said she looked worn down and defeated.

Studer pulled down her shirt and showed them a row of bruises across the top of her chest.

A month earlier, Julig was arrested on a domestic battery charge. He threw a box of condoms at Studer while she was asleep and injured her after she grabbed her cell phone to call 911.

Julig pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced to one year of probation, according to court records.

Studer's brother, Bill Dunham, said his sister suffered from "battered wife syndrome."

Julig has been arrested about a dozen times. His charges included domestic battery, aggravated stalking and DUI, according to court records.

"It was a vicious cycle," Dunham said of Julig's abuse. "It was going on and on and on."

Studer has two grown sons. One lives in Sarasota and the other in Northern Virginia.

Dunham said Studer's youngest son was the first family member other than Julig to learn about her death. A Fairfax County, Va. police officer visited him while he was at work to tell him the news.

He was told Thursday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Studer was pronounced dead, said Dunham.

The body was expected to have been released from the Medical Examiner's Office in Leesburg late last week. Typically, the "appropriate next of kin" signs a release form and the body is picked up by the funeral home.

The appropriate next of kin in this case is Julig. Funeral arrangements still had not been set as of Saturday.

"He can control everything she had," Dunham said of Julig.

"This is a total shock to us," he continued. "We've never been through anything like this before."

Jack Comfort said he and his wife never stopped reaching out to Studer in spite of Julig's efforts to control her and intimidate them.

"He'd call us some vicious names," said Comfort.

Studer's family said she was never a successful real estate broker. She mostly listed, but rarely sold. By the time the housing market collapsed, she was in dire straits. That was when she met Julig.

"She grew up a fortunate kid," Comfort said. "Pretty soon everything dried up and things started getting worse. She met this drunk and thought she could change him."

Comfort recalled hearing several stories from Studer about how she called the cops on her husband only to turn around and bail him out of jail.

"She would say to me, 'I'm in love with him,'" said Comfort.

"Then I would tell her, 'Jackie, that's not love,'" his wife said.

In February, Julig was arrested again by deputies for violating a domestic violence injunction, according to a sheriff's office report.

Studer called 911 after she returned home from the movies and noticed her husband had taken a high dose of his prescription medication, deputies said.

She thought Julig had tried to kill himself.

When the arresting deputy listened to the 911 call, she heard a man's voice "garbling in the background stating he (wanted) to die," according to the report.

Deputies learned about the injunction, which prohibited Julig from living with or having contact with Studer. He was subsequently charged.

Studer's family said Julig never moved out of his wife's home.

That didn't mean Studer never seriously considered it.

Jimmy Brown, a Brooksville defense attorney, said Studer scheduled a consultation with him two months ago. He said he suspected she would be "taking imminent legal action" against her husband.

Court papers were never filed.

Dunham's relationship with his sister was strained during the last few years of her life. He said he had difficulty watching Studer's life unravel. He admitted he had lost patience with her. He told her repeatedly to leave her abusive husband.

"She always had a great mind to do things," he said. "She just let him drag her down."