Father Kills Children – Motivated by Suspicion of Wife’s Infidelity

By Sarah Harper

Published on April 08, 2009

James Harrison, father of five and resident of Pierce County, Washington, shot and killed his children Friday night while they slept. He then drove to adjacent King County and committed suicide inside his SUV.

The children - four girls and one boy, ages 7 to 16 - were children from a previous relationship. Harrison's current marriage is, according to authorities, a potential motive for the crime.

According to CNN reports, on Friday evening, Harrison, accompanied by his 16-year-old daughter, found his wife with another man at an undisclosed location. The couple argued. Then Harrison and the daughter returned to the family home, and Harrison held a family meeting with additional relatives. After the relatives left and the children were in bed, Harrison shot the children while they slept. The children's mother was located after the shootings.

The massacre is one of several similar ones - one in Los Angeles and another in Santa Clara - in which fathers have murdered family members and then taken their own lives.

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