WASHINGTON – Heather Lynn McGuire believed her estranged husband, 51-year-old Phil Gilberti, would try to kill her. A woman who describes herself as McGuire’s best friend says she was right.

Tuesday morning, just days after getting a protective order Gilberti violated repeatedly, McGuire was killed. And now police say they believe Gilberti might have abducted her from a Rockville home where she was staying. There were signs of forced entry and a struggle at the house, a police spokesperson says.

McGuire was killed after her estranged husband shot her in the head and shoved her body out onto Connecticut Avenue during the morning rush. Witnesses say they saw a woman and a man struggling in a van before the body tumbled out. Later that night, Gilberti was found dead inside a Rockville house.

McGuire’s friend — who doesn’t want her full name used — is especially upset that Judge Barry Hamilton didn’t order Gilberti held after it was clear he’d violated the protection order.

“I feel like he let a monster out onto the street,” she says.

The woman says McGuire hesitated to get the protective order “because she knew that it would put her life in danger and that they wouldn’t protect her.”

She cannot understand why Judge Hamilton ordered Gilberti held on an unsecured bond, which allows a person to be released without putting up cash or property.

“If somebody violates a protective order, why can’t they stay in for a minimum cooling off period?,” she asks.

WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow Kate Ryan and WTOP on Twitter.

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