Two Dead, One Critical After Hack-And-Shoot

"LOS ANGELES, CA — A husband and wife were found dead Monday following an apparent murder/suicide in Valley Village.

"The incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 12400 block of Weddington Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"Roland Lelea, 70, reportedly attacked his wife, who was in her 40s, with an axe before fatally shooting her. He later turned the gun on himself.

"A neighbor was also shot in the mouth when she went to check on the apartment, following cries for help. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

"The neighbor’s husband, Derrick Andrews, says that was scheduled for surgery at the hospital, where she remained in critical condition Monday night.

"`By the time I was waking up, my wife was next door already,` Andrews said. `Then five minutes later, we heard gunshots.`

"Two other neighbors had also checked in on the apartment when they reported that they had heard screaming.

"Residents told [reporters] the couple, whose teen daughter was safe in school during the incident, fought frequently.

"`They argued constantly, all the time,` neighbor Robin Torell said. `They were fighting and bickering, back and forth.`

"An officer reportedly suffered a cut, but no other injuries were reported.

"A SWAT team also responded to the scene."

From CBS Los Angeles...

Girl, 17, Escapes From Scene Of Double Murder/Suicide

"LIVONIA, MI — Livonia police said three people were found dead in a house Tuesday afternoon in what appears to be a murder-suicide.

"Police said offers responded to a 911 call in the 27000 block of Sunnydale Street and found 2 people had died from gunshot wounds and a third person had been beaten to death.

"People who identified themselves as friends of the victims [said] that there was a 17-year-old girl who lived with her mother and another man in the home. They said the teen had just broken up with her boyfriend and that he might have gone to the home in a rage.

"`He was very controlling,` said family friend Lisa Collins. `He tried contacting her several times but she didn't want to do it.`

"Collins said the ex-boyfriend went to the home on Wednesday, tied the girl up and tortured her. He then killed her mother and another man before turning the gun on himself, family friends say.

"`She was tied up and brutally beaten,` Collins said. `And he beat one and shot the other.`

"They girl managed to get away and make the 911 call. She was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover from her injuries."

From clickondetroit.com...

UPDATE:

04/05/2012 — Victims were "axed to death"...
04/05/2012 — "...a gun, an axe and a broken heart..."
04/06/2012 — The inevitable Facebook connection...
04/10/2012 — Recording of 911 call...

Police Believe Man Planned Deadly Explosion

"GRAHAM, WA — Authorities believe an explosion and fire Sunday at the Washington state home of Josh Powell has killed him and his two children.

"Police are awaiting verification from the Medical Examiner’s Office, but they believe the three dead are Powell, the husband of missing Utah woman Susan Powell, and their two children, said Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

"Troyer said emails Powell sent authorities seemed to confirm that Powell planned the deadly blast.

"The explosion occurred just moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought the two boys to the home for a supervised visit, said Graham Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Franz.

"`Everything we know right now, this has become a crime scene,` Franz said.

"Powell let the boys into his Graham house, then blocked the social worker from entering. The social worker called her supervisors to report that she could smell gas, and the home exploded.

"`What happened here was a deeply wrong thing. It was an act of evil. It wasn’t a tragedy,` Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said, as reported by the Tacoma News Tribune."

From The Salt lake Tribune...

UPDATE:

02/07/2012 — Dad took axe to kids before torching house...

Axe Wielding Mom Charged With 2 Counts Of Murder

"ASHEVILLE, NC — Asheville police have charged a 33-year-old woman with first-degree murder after finding the bodies of her two children in their homes.

"Lt. Wally Welch said that warrants issued Saturday charge Naiyana Patel in the deaths of 8-year-old Jiya Patel and 4-year-old Piya Patel. Welch said Ms. Patel was admitted to Mission Hospital after undergoing surgery for self-inflicted wounds to her head.

"Welch said investigators determined that Naiyana Patel killed both children with a hatchet, then attempted to kill herself by striking her head repeatedly with the hatchet.

"Officers were called to the home on Shannon Drive around 10 a.m. Saturday by the children's father.

"Welch said it didn't appear Naiyana Patel had an attorney."

From chron.com...

Carnival Cancelled After Horrific Murder/Suicide

"ALMERIA, SPAIN - The 36-year-old woman found dead in Almería yesterday hacked her own mother to death with an axe, then suffocated her four-year-old daughter before hanging herself in her home, according to information released by the mayor of Sorbas, José Fernández, who has declared three days of mourning in the town and has cancelled the carnival.

"In a statement released today, Fernández confirmed that the alleged perpetrator of the double atrocity, Marina G., of Belgian origin, had been officially resident in the town since 2002, and had been in a stable relationship with a local man, although they had stopped living together a few months ago.

"According to the mayor, `there was no evidence of any previous violence` in the family, so no-one was expecting anything like this to happen.

"The Town Hall has declared three days of official mourning and the carnival celebrations have been cancelled as a mark of respect for the victims of a crime that has shaken this small town, which lies about 100km away from the provincial capital.

"The alleged murderer's father-in-law, a former town hall employee who retired a month ago, had to be taken to the health centre yesterday afternoon to be sedated and the family of the suffocated four-year-old's father are said to be `devastated`.

"Fernández also confirmed that the alleged murderer had been at the Town Hall on Friday asking about how `to get herself taken off the electoral register` but nobody could have possibly suspected what was to come in this sleepy village."

From thinkspain.com...