A 46-year-old man killed his wife, former partner and his two sons before shooting himself in the US state of Minnesota, authorities said. The man, identified as Anthony Nephew, would often write social media posts against US President-elect Donald Trump. He even faced a “pattern of mental health issues,” the New York Post quoted Duluth police chief Mike Ceynowa as saying on Friday.
The five people — Nephew, his wife, ex-partner and his two sons — were found dead inside two houses on Thursday.
While Nephew’s ex-partner Erin Abramson and their son, Jacob Nephew, were found dead from alleged gunshot wounds inside their home on Thursday afternoon, authorities recovered bodies of his wife Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son Oliver Nephew inside their family home nearby.
After identifying Nephew as a suspect, they also saw his body inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Nephew was sharing anti-Trump posts on his Facebook account, authorities said.
“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” he wrote in a July post.
He further wrote that he was “terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs” on him and his family. “I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross,” he added.
In a separate post, Nephew even accused the Republicans of “making it harder for women to leave” abusive relationships.
“Gilead here we come,” he said, about the dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale”.
Another post by Nephew features an image of Trump with former President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
While the word “hate” was written beneath Trump’s face, words like “hope,” “heal” and “grow” were mentioned under the Democratic politicians.
“Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates,” he wrote in a July post this year.
The Duluth Police are yet to determine the motive behind the murders, noting there was no ongoing threat to the community.
