Man Kills 3 Children, Self at Ex-Wife’s House
- Share via
JASPER, Ind. — A recently divorced man broke into his ex-wife’s house Friday and shot to death three children, two of them his own, before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The body of John Ritzert, 30, a bricklayer in nearby Evansville, Ind., was found in the blood-soaked home along with the children, two boys, 12 and 6, and a girl, 3. Ritzert had fathered the two younger children.
Police were called to the house by Ritzert’s ex-wife, Theresa, 32, who had fled to a neighbor’s house after Ritzert broke in through a window, cut the telephone lines, and brandished a shotgun. She told neighbors that she and Ritzert had argued and she feared he would shoot the children.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
