Murder-Suicide: Man With History Of Mental Illness Kills His Wife & 3 Children In North Carolina

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A man with a history of mental illness opened fire inside his North Carolina home, killing his wife and three children before and then himself, police said Monday.

Robert J. Crayton Jr., 45, fatally shot Athalia A. Crayton, 46, Kasin Crayton, 18, and two other children, who were 16 and 10, on Saturday morning, High Point police said.

Two people, 25 and 22, who were in the house fled shortly after 7 a.m. and started banging on neighbors’ doors pleading for help, police said.

One of those adults was a “direct relation, and the other was an acquaintance,” High Point police Lt. Patrick Welsh said.

The shooter was the target of a Jan. 3, 2022, involuntary commitment, officials said, though police are still seeking more information about that case.

"He was suffering from some mental illness," Welsh said. "I can't speak to the reason under the involuntary commitment. But we do believe it was taken out by the family."

Man kills his wife and 3 children in North Carolina murder-suicide, officials say

Robert J. Crayton Jr., 45, is thought to have opened fire in his High Point home, police said. Two adults escaped.

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Athalia A. Crayton