azathoth777
09-08-2006, 11:08 PM
A 37-year-old man killed his mother and 21/2-year-old nephew with an ax in her home before committing suicide by stepping into oncoming traffic along Interstate 5 during the Labor Day holiday, San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies said Tuesday.
Investigators believe Michael Allen Carriker, a former counselor at the Dewitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton who relatives say suffered from a bipolar disorder, killed mother Janet Jensen, 55, and nephew Keoni Willis at Jensen's home on the 26500 block of North Sacramento Boulevard sometime during the weekend.
The victims suffered "severe trauma to the head and facial area caused by an ax," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Les Garcia.
Carriker then left the home, driving Jensen's car onto the nearby northbound I-5 onramp before pulling to the side of the road, officials said. At about 3:20 a.m. Monday, he left the vehicle, stepped into oncoming traffic and, after one truck swerved to avoid him, was struck and killed by a second vehicle.
"We suspect he did it intentionally," Garcia said Tuesday.
Keoni's mother was Carriker's sister, Garcia said. Her identity or whereabouts at the time of the alleged murder were not known Tuesday, although deputies had informed her of Keoni's death.
Deputies discovered Keoni and Jensen's bodies early Monday after arriving at the home to tell Jensen of Carriker's death, Garcia said.
The door had been left ajar, and deputies discovered the ax near the bodies. No other details were released.
A prepared statement from the Sheriff's Office said Carriker had "previous contacts with law enforcement" and a history of drug and alcohol problems.
George Kostyrko of the state Department of Corrections said Tuesday that Carriker worked at Dewitt Nelson from 1996 until 2003, first as a part-time officer, then as a full-time youth counselor.
He resigned for unknown reasons in November 2003, Kostyrko said.
The suspect's grandmother, Pat Carriker of Vista, said Michael Carriker suffered from a mental disorder that prevented him from working.
Pat Carriker, who learned of the suspected murder-suicide Tuesday evening, said her grandson was "a bright kid" who couldn't overcome his mental illness and previous family tragedies.
Michael Carriker's father, 57-year-old Bruce Carriker, was stabbed to death along with two others in an Oceanside apartment in May. Pat Carriker said she had spoken with Michael Carriker by phone several times since his father's funeral, but she hadn't heard from him in about three weeks.
Pat Carriker said Michael lived with Jensen but didn't know whether Keoni also stayed at the house. She called Jensen, her one-time daughter-in-law, a wonderful person and questioned how much more her family could take.
"Bruce was my only child, and Michael was my only grandson," Pat Carriker said. "I can't believe there's been so much murder."
In Thornton Tuesday afternoon, two stickers and a small makeshift memorial were the only signs that something went wrong in the weathered stucco home shrouded by tall bushes.
The stickers sealed the front and back doors of the home to prevent people from entering. The memorial, consisting of two cylindrical candles and a small bouquet of flowers, sat at the foot of the home's front porch.
Less than 10 feet away, a red Radio Flyer wagon and a baby stroller sat unused on the home's front lawn.
The eerie silence at the small boxy home was a contrast from Monday, when a parade of investigators passed back-and-forth through yellow police surrounding the property.
Residents said they were shocked by the apparent violence that happened in the normally quiet home.
A nearby neighbor who wished to remain unidentified said no one in her family heard anything unusual happen at the house until police arrived early Sunday.
"They didn't hear anything," the woman said. "It's tragic."
Nely Barcelos of Elk Grove comes to Thornton each day to worship at Mater Ecclesiae, the church across the street from Jensen's home where witnesses in 1981 claimed to see the church's 60-pound statue of Our Lady of Fatima shed tears and move toward the altar.
Barcelos said it was shocking to learn that such violence could happen in a farm town like Thornton, with a population of only a few thousand.
"You don't expect something like this in such a small town," Barcelos said.
The most recent homicide in Thornton was Dec. 26, 2005, when Jesus Contreras was shot outside a local convenience store. Two suspects have since been arrested and charged in his death.
Steve Murphy, a truck driver who also owns a vineyard near Jensen's home, said that although the crime was tragic, it shouldn't be surprising because it happened in Thornton. Violent crime isn't as isolated to Stockton and other large population centers as some would like to believe, he said.
"It happens every day," Murphy said. "It's just a sign of the times."
Investigators believe Michael Allen Carriker, a former counselor at the Dewitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton who relatives say suffered from a bipolar disorder, killed mother Janet Jensen, 55, and nephew Keoni Willis at Jensen's home on the 26500 block of North Sacramento Boulevard sometime during the weekend.
The victims suffered "severe trauma to the head and facial area caused by an ax," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Les Garcia.
Carriker then left the home, driving Jensen's car onto the nearby northbound I-5 onramp before pulling to the side of the road, officials said. At about 3:20 a.m. Monday, he left the vehicle, stepped into oncoming traffic and, after one truck swerved to avoid him, was struck and killed by a second vehicle.
"We suspect he did it intentionally," Garcia said Tuesday.
Keoni's mother was Carriker's sister, Garcia said. Her identity or whereabouts at the time of the alleged murder were not known Tuesday, although deputies had informed her of Keoni's death.
Deputies discovered Keoni and Jensen's bodies early Monday after arriving at the home to tell Jensen of Carriker's death, Garcia said.
The door had been left ajar, and deputies discovered the ax near the bodies. No other details were released.
A prepared statement from the Sheriff's Office said Carriker had "previous contacts with law enforcement" and a history of drug and alcohol problems.
George Kostyrko of the state Department of Corrections said Tuesday that Carriker worked at Dewitt Nelson from 1996 until 2003, first as a part-time officer, then as a full-time youth counselor.
He resigned for unknown reasons in November 2003, Kostyrko said.
The suspect's grandmother, Pat Carriker of Vista, said Michael Carriker suffered from a mental disorder that prevented him from working.
Pat Carriker, who learned of the suspected murder-suicide Tuesday evening, said her grandson was "a bright kid" who couldn't overcome his mental illness and previous family tragedies.
Michael Carriker's father, 57-year-old Bruce Carriker, was stabbed to death along with two others in an Oceanside apartment in May. Pat Carriker said she had spoken with Michael Carriker by phone several times since his father's funeral, but she hadn't heard from him in about three weeks.
Pat Carriker said Michael lived with Jensen but didn't know whether Keoni also stayed at the house. She called Jensen, her one-time daughter-in-law, a wonderful person and questioned how much more her family could take.
"Bruce was my only child, and Michael was my only grandson," Pat Carriker said. "I can't believe there's been so much murder."
In Thornton Tuesday afternoon, two stickers and a small makeshift memorial were the only signs that something went wrong in the weathered stucco home shrouded by tall bushes.
The stickers sealed the front and back doors of the home to prevent people from entering. The memorial, consisting of two cylindrical candles and a small bouquet of flowers, sat at the foot of the home's front porch.
Less than 10 feet away, a red Radio Flyer wagon and a baby stroller sat unused on the home's front lawn.
The eerie silence at the small boxy home was a contrast from Monday, when a parade of investigators passed back-and-forth through yellow police surrounding the property.
Residents said they were shocked by the apparent violence that happened in the normally quiet home.
A nearby neighbor who wished to remain unidentified said no one in her family heard anything unusual happen at the house until police arrived early Sunday.
"They didn't hear anything," the woman said. "It's tragic."
Nely Barcelos of Elk Grove comes to Thornton each day to worship at Mater Ecclesiae, the church across the street from Jensen's home where witnesses in 1981 claimed to see the church's 60-pound statue of Our Lady of Fatima shed tears and move toward the altar.
Barcelos said it was shocking to learn that such violence could happen in a farm town like Thornton, with a population of only a few thousand.
"You don't expect something like this in such a small town," Barcelos said.
The most recent homicide in Thornton was Dec. 26, 2005, when Jesus Contreras was shot outside a local convenience store. Two suspects have since been arrested and charged in his death.
Steve Murphy, a truck driver who also owns a vineyard near Jensen's home, said that although the crime was tragic, it shouldn't be surprising because it happened in Thornton. Violent crime isn't as isolated to Stockton and other large population centers as some would like to believe, he said.
"It happens every day," Murphy said. "It's just a sign of the times."