bloodrayne
09-05-2004, 02:11 PM
RV Park Deaths Shock Neighbors
Man Confesses To Killing 4 Members Of His Family
LIVINGSTON, Texas -- Neighbors of a man arrested for the shooting deaths of four of his family members described an individual who became isolated and disheveled in the months after his wife moved out of their home and asked for a divorce after 51 years of marriage.
Polk County Authorities Find 4 Dead In RV
The bodies were found Thursday in a burning mobile home after the man surrendered to authorities.
Joann and Harold Struthers were neighbors of the couple for 17 years at the Escapees RV Club, a trailer park about 75 miles northeast of Houston in the wooded outskirts of Livingston.
While the RV park has sites for individuals who can rent by the night or week, most of the lots are owned by individuals, many retirees, who live for years in either homes they construct or in mobile homes.
"This is a very quiet community," said Joann Struthers. The couple "never argued, never yelled. I was crying after learning what happened. They were dear people."
Polk County Sheriff Billy Ray Nelson said the man, who is in his 70s, surrendered to deputies Thursday afternoon, saying he had shot his family.
"When he turned himself in he showed no signs of remorse," Nelson said. "He was very calm. He just wanted to report it."
The victims were identified as the man's wife, daughter, son-in-law and teenage grandson. But neither the man's name nor those of his family members were released because relatives had not yet been notified.
The bodies were found in the mobile home where the daughter, her husband and son had lived for three years. The mobile home was located about 100 feet away from the house where her parents lived.
Deputies responding to the scene found the mobile home on fire and called firefighters. The home sustained mainly smoke damage. The man did not mention a fire when he surrendered, and it wasn't immediately known how the fire started.
Nelson said officers found a .38-caliber revolver in the man's home that they believe was used in the shootings.
The deaths may be related to marital problems between the older couple, the sheriff said.
Neighbors said the man's wife had moved in with her daughter about six months ago.
Joann Struthers said the woman had surgery in the last couple of years after suffering knee problems for about 20 years. She said the woman's husband seemed to resent her newfound freedom.
She said the man "went downhill" after his wife moved out and then asked for a divorce.
"You could tell he was unhappy. He let his hair grow and he had a big beard. That was never (him). He was always immaculately dressed."
The man changed the locks in their house and wouldn't let his wife in. He also ripped out the flowers his wife had planted around their home, said Struthers, who has known the family for 17 years.
"His family was concerned," she said. "I felt if he would do anything, he would do it to himself. I never thought he'd hurt his daughter...the only child they had. To turn on the grandson, that's what floors us."
Robert Brinton, marketing director for the RV club, said the park's community, made up mostly of older people in their 40s and up, was numbed by the shootings.
"We're all old people. People do die and they do get sick and you do feel sorry for them, but you don't expect this," Struthers said.
Man Confesses To Killing 4 Members Of His Family
LIVINGSTON, Texas -- Neighbors of a man arrested for the shooting deaths of four of his family members described an individual who became isolated and disheveled in the months after his wife moved out of their home and asked for a divorce after 51 years of marriage.
Polk County Authorities Find 4 Dead In RV
The bodies were found Thursday in a burning mobile home after the man surrendered to authorities.
Joann and Harold Struthers were neighbors of the couple for 17 years at the Escapees RV Club, a trailer park about 75 miles northeast of Houston in the wooded outskirts of Livingston.
While the RV park has sites for individuals who can rent by the night or week, most of the lots are owned by individuals, many retirees, who live for years in either homes they construct or in mobile homes.
"This is a very quiet community," said Joann Struthers. The couple "never argued, never yelled. I was crying after learning what happened. They were dear people."
Polk County Sheriff Billy Ray Nelson said the man, who is in his 70s, surrendered to deputies Thursday afternoon, saying he had shot his family.
"When he turned himself in he showed no signs of remorse," Nelson said. "He was very calm. He just wanted to report it."
The victims were identified as the man's wife, daughter, son-in-law and teenage grandson. But neither the man's name nor those of his family members were released because relatives had not yet been notified.
The bodies were found in the mobile home where the daughter, her husband and son had lived for three years. The mobile home was located about 100 feet away from the house where her parents lived.
Deputies responding to the scene found the mobile home on fire and called firefighters. The home sustained mainly smoke damage. The man did not mention a fire when he surrendered, and it wasn't immediately known how the fire started.
Nelson said officers found a .38-caliber revolver in the man's home that they believe was used in the shootings.
The deaths may be related to marital problems between the older couple, the sheriff said.
Neighbors said the man's wife had moved in with her daughter about six months ago.
Joann Struthers said the woman had surgery in the last couple of years after suffering knee problems for about 20 years. She said the woman's husband seemed to resent her newfound freedom.
She said the man "went downhill" after his wife moved out and then asked for a divorce.
"You could tell he was unhappy. He let his hair grow and he had a big beard. That was never (him). He was always immaculately dressed."
The man changed the locks in their house and wouldn't let his wife in. He also ripped out the flowers his wife had planted around their home, said Struthers, who has known the family for 17 years.
"His family was concerned," she said. "I felt if he would do anything, he would do it to himself. I never thought he'd hurt his daughter...the only child they had. To turn on the grandson, that's what floors us."
Robert Brinton, marketing director for the RV club, said the park's community, made up mostly of older people in their 40s and up, was numbed by the shootings.
"We're all old people. People do die and they do get sick and you do feel sorry for them, but you don't expect this," Struthers said.