murder-suicide news stories on Newser

Killer Florida Mom Shot Her 4 Kids 18 Times

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:40:38 CDT

Tonya Thomas shot her four children 18 times in Tuesday's massacre , and two of them were shot as the gun pressed against their chests, according to the medical examiner's report. She used jacketed, hollow-point bullets, which cause more damage than full-metal jacket rounds, and used a single Taurus .38-caliber revolver,...

Neo-Nazi Militia Leader Kills 4 in Phoenix

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:44:55 CDT

The white supremacist founder of an Arizona border militia is believed to shot and killed three adults and a toddler before committing suicide. The body of JT Ready, head of the US Border Guard group, was found at a home in suburban Phoenix along with those of his girlfriend, her...

Police Found Blood, Note in Susan Powell Disappearance

Mark Russell — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:18:25 CDT

Based on newly revealed evidence from Susan Powell's disappearance in 2009 , husband Josh—who killed himself and two sons by blowing up his house last month — should have been charged with her murder, says one prosecutor getting his first look at the case. Investigators in 2009 called Josh only a...

3 Girls, Mom Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:59:00 CDT

A mother and her three young daughters were found shot to death near a Missouri campground in what police believe was a triple murder-suicide. Each was killed by a single gunshot, and the weapon was found near the bodies, according to police. The four were not staying at the Bourbon...

Students Joked Fired Teacher Might Snap

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:01:03 CST

Shane Schumerth was an "awkward man" who didn't seem to fit in, Episcopal High School students say, and when he was fired yesterday morning and escorted off the Jacksonville campus, some of the students joked that he would return to campus and do something. And he did: Police say the...

Fired Fla. Teacher Kills Principal, Self

Rob Quinn — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:18:00 CST

A teacher fired from a private Florida high school returned several hours later with an assault rifle hidden in a guitar case and killed the school's headmistress before taking his own life. Students say the Spanish teacher, 28-year-old Shane Schumert, had been ignoring the subject this semester, and was spending...

Susan Powell Father-in-Law Now a 'Person of Interest'

John Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:22:26 CST

Police in Utah trying to find the body of Susan Powell after more than two years have labeled her father-in-law a person of interest in the case, reports Utah's KSL.com . Police are specifying that Steven Powell isn't a suspect in her disappearance but that he may have information about...

Powell Attacked Sons With Ax Before Blast

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:51:06 CST

The dad who blew up his two young sons and himself in his Washington state home attacked the boys with an ax minutes before the blast, according to authorities. Brothers Braden, 5, and Charlie, 7, suffered deep gashes to their neck and head just before dad Josh Powell lighted 10...

2 Adults, 2 Kids Dead in California Murder-Suicide

Matt Cantor — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:00:00 CST

Two adults and two children were found dead of gunshot wounds in a California apartment yesterday, while another man was found with stab wounds outside its door, police say. Though the details remain hazy, police believe the mother of the kids shot herself when police arrived, the Fresno Bee reports....