Las Vegas police suspect rise in murder-suicides tied to economy; 5 cases so far this month
By APSunday, August 29, 2010
Las Vegas logs 5 murder-suicides since Aug. 7
LAS VEGAS — Police say murder-suicides are on the rise in the Las Vegas area because of a bad economy.
Las Vegas police say there were five murder-suicides from Aug. 7 to Aug. 20 for a total of 10 victims.
A gun was used in each case. In four of the five cases, the shooter was a man.
In one instance, a housekeeper found Donald and Barbara Romano, both 74, dead at their million-dollar Summerlin home. The couple, heavily involved in the real estate business, had been financially crippled by the recession.
In another case, a bystander was wounded.
The numbers of murder-suicides are apparently up, but no law enforcement agency keeps track of them. The FBI tracks homicides and health agencies track suicides, but nobody puts the numbers together.
Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, www.lvrj.com
