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Police: Jobless father kills family, self

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:15 pm
by HURAKAN
Police: Jobless father kills family, self

* Story Highlights
* Father had MBA in finance but seemed to have been unemployed for months
* Police: Man left three letters, including one taking responsibility for shootings
* Bodies were discovered when wife didn't show up to carpool on Monday

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A man distraught because he could not find work shot and killed his mother-in-law, his wife and three sons and then killed himself inside a home in an upscale San Fernando Valley neighborhood, police said.

Authorities said the man had an MBA in finance but appeared to have been unemployed for several months and had worked for major accounting firms, such as Price Waterhouse, police said.

The two-story rented home is in gated community in Porter Ranch, about 20 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The names of the victims have not been released, said Deputy Chief of Police Michel Moore.

The shootings were discovered at 7:15 a.m. Monday, when a neighbor called police to report that the wife had not picked her up as she usually did to take her to her job at a pharmacy, Moore said.

The mother-in-law was 70; her daughter was 39; and the sons were 19, 12 and 7, Moore said. All were found inside bedrooms. A handgun, which was bought September 16, was recovered, he said.

The killings are thought to have occurred after 6 p.m. Saturday, when the man was last seen, Moore said.

Inside the house, three letters that appear to have been written by the suspect were found. One was to law enforcement acknowledging responsibility for the killings, a second to friends and relatives and a third that appears to be the suspect's will, Moore said.

"He attests to some financial difficulties, and he takes responsibility for the taking of the lives of his family members and himself as a result of those financial difficulties," Moore said.

No neighbors reported having heard gunshots, and there was no sign of forced entry at the house, Moore said.

There is no evidence the suspected gunman had had any history of mental difficulties, Moore said.

Neighbor Trish Harrison, who lives three houses from the crime scene, said the family had lived in the community for about a year. They kept to themselves and had little interaction with neighbors. The parents were from India, she said.

The Los Angeles Unified School District was making arrangements for crisis counselors to visit the schools attended by the two younger sons.

CNN's Stan Wilson contributed to this report.

All AboutLos Angeles

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http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/06/cal ... er.suicide
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Very sad story. Even if you have to live under a bridge, life is too precious to kill yourself. I hope we don't hear another story like this but as life continues to get harder, they may become more common. :cry:

Re: Police: Jobless father kills family, self

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:24 pm
by Stephanie
Unfortunately, I think that we will read more stories like this in the months to come. :(

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:36 pm
by southerngale
The man was clearly nuts. Whether he was unemployed or not, still clearly nuts. Nobody in his right mind kills his entire family, for any reason. He should have come to Southeast Texas. There's a bunch of job openings, presumably because some people never returned after Ike. The local 24 hour Super Walmart even closes at 10pm.

The maniac should have spared his family. How tragic. :(

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:05 am
by Miss Mary
I thought the same thing Stephanie, that we may hear of more stories such as this tragic one. I pray we won't though.

Re:

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:39 pm
by Stephanie
southerngale wrote:The man was clearly nuts. Whether he was unemployed or not, still clearly nuts. Nobody in his right mind kills his entire family, for any reason. He should have come to Southeast Texas. There's a bunch of job openings, presumably because some people never returned after Ike. The local 24 hour Super Walmart even closes at 10pm.

The maniac should have spared his family. How tragic. :(


He was mentally ill, no question about it. Something definately snapped and it is very tragic that he decided to take his whole family with him as well. :cry:

Re: Police: Jobless father kills family, self

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:03 pm
by Ptarmigan
We had a case where a father killed his whole family. It is sad. :cry: I am sure you might remember Ronald Gene Simmons, he killed all 14 of his family members around Christmas in Arkansas.