The Tragedy of Murder-Suicides

March 15, the ides of March, has been associated with bad luck ever since Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated by people he knew and trusted on this day in 44 BCE. Nine days later, on March 24, the second season of the Chris Benoit Documentary aired a modern-day tragedy where the former wrestling star betrayed people he knew and love, killing his wife and son before committing suicide. In the nine days between, several other people lost their lives to murder-suicide.

The Everyday Faces of Murder-Suicide

In Salisbury, North Carolina, 52-year old Christina Davis-Land was murdered by her husband, Paul Land, who then shot and killed himself; there was no documented history of domestic violence.

In Norwalk, Connecticut, 27-year-old Yimi Moncada killed his 5-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son, and himself with carbon monoxide; he and his ex-wife had been divorced since 2017 and there was a history of domestic violence dating back to 2015.

According to Chatham County Sheriff’s deputies, 66-year-old Larry Don Ray killed six relatives at multiple homes before shooting himself in the head. According to a surviving sister, there had been several phone calls about Mr. Ray’s “mental and behavior concerns” in the past six months, including his allegedly delusional belief that his brother-in-law was having an affair with…