Md. Man Who Killed Family Was $460K in Debt

Father detailed mortgage, credit card woes in notes
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
Md. Man Who Killed Family Was $460K in Debt
Law enforcement officials stand outside a home where authorities say a couple and their three children died in an apparent murder-suicide, Saturday, April 18, 2009, in Middletown, Md.   (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

The Maryland man who murdered his family before shooting and killing himself complained of his financial troubles in notes left at the scene, the Washington Post reports. Christopher Wood’s family was at least $460,000 in debt from two mortgages and credit card charges. The family owned a Florida home that had been foreclosed, police said.

Wood, 34, killed his wife and three children with gunshots to the head before slashing their throats, officials said. He left six separate notes, four addressed to his wife and children, one to his mother, father and sister, and another that police describe as a suicide note. "If you have built your identity around that you're the breadwinner, you're the backbone, and that becomes unglued, it undermines your sense of self," said a family-violence expert.
(More murder stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X