California father kills four children, himself

dark_shadows · #1 07-04-2006, 07:59 PM

GUSTINE, Calif. - Four children and their father are dead in an apparent murder suicide in California's San Joaquin Valley.

Police say 38-year-old Trevor Branscum shot all four of his children in their family's home in Gustine before killing himself.
news link

cathieq · #2 07-04-2006, 09:40 PM

And so another coward decides to take his kids with him...What is so maddening about these murder-suicides is that he will receive no punishment in this life. He was thinking only of himself! I don't want to hear how much he loved his kids - what a wonderful father he was -that is bulls--. You don't do things like that to people you love. You want to protect them. You don't consider them possessions, like you control whether they live or die. You treasure their existence. Honestly...things like this make my blood boil!

mindi77 · #3 07-05-2006, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathieq

And so another coward decides to take his kids with him...What is so maddening about these murder-suicides is that he will receive no punishment in this life. He was thinking only of himself! I don't want to hear how much he loved his kids - what a wonderful father he was -that is bulls--. You don't do things like that to people you love. You want to protect them. You don't consider them possessions, like you control whether they live or die. You treasure their existence. Honestly...things like this make my blood boil!

I agree completely

GlitchWizard · #4 07-05-2006, 08:49 AM

My (ex) husband did not want to raise my daughter. So he moved to Texas and doesn't raise her. That's fine by me. He also doesn't pay child support and started a new family with someone else. That's fine by me.

With as easy as it is in this country to walk away from your children, seems to me people ought to do that - rather than kill them.

Sure, the nice thought is that people love and take responsibility for their children - and princes will keep you happy and fairy dust can fix your dress -

But it rattles my brain that they can just kill them. It doesn't make sense.

cathieq · #5 07-05-2006, 02:09 PM

"(Trevor) seemed like such a wonderful father. He adored his children, but I think he did this to punish Amanda."...
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/s...13133744c.html

Neighbors reaction:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/s...13133699c.html

It really takes all my self-control not to rewrite these articles as I would see him...From one of the articles I read he had to "reload" after each shot...

bakerprune64 · #6 07-05-2006, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathieq

"(Trevor) seemed like such a wonderful father. He adored his children, but I think he did this to punish Amanda."...
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/s...13133744c.html

Neighbors reaction:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/s...13133699c.html

It really takes all my self-control not to rewrite these articles as I would see him...From one of the articles I read he had to "reload" after each shot...

Are you from the central valley?

Jeana (DP) · #7 07-05-2006, 04:18 PM

I can't imagine the terror of the three kids after witnessing the first one being shot by dear old dad. As y'all said, I'll never understand why these SOB's insist on destroying the only good they've most likely ever done in their miserable lives.

Shadow205 · #8 07-05-2006, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeana (DP)

I can't imagine the terror of the three kids after witnessing the first one being shot by dear old dad. As y'all said, I'll never understand why these SOB's insist on destroying the only good they've most likely ever done in their miserable lives.

GUSTINE -- A man killed his four sleeping children with a hunting rifle early Tuesday morning before turning the weapon on himself, police said.
<snip>

Trevor Branscum had just returned home with his wife, Amanda Trimble, after the two had argued at a nearby market, police said. Trimble, 33, left with a friend and didn't return for about hour. When she came home, she entered the house, saw Branscum lying dead, ran out and collapsed on the street

<snip>

A family member, who asked not to be identified, said Tuesday night that Trimble, is staying with her parents near Sacramento as she tries to cope with the immense loss. She described Amanda as a "wonderful mother" and homemaker who had recently begun working a night shift after the children were put to bed.

<snip>

A little over an hour before the bodies were discovered, Trimble entered the store to buy some things and was followed inside by Branscum.

The couple was seen arguing there just after midnight, police said.

The store owner, who police have not identified, called to request an escort to his home after he told police he was concerned after witnessing Branscum and Trimble argue. He said the two were regular customers, although he knew them only by their first names and didn't know where they lived.

more at the link http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/s...13133744c.html

Sounds like there is more to the story then what is being released. I don't see why the store owner would feel the need to request a police escort to his home just becasue he winessed them argue. Makes me wonder if maybe Branscum thought that there was something going on between his wife and the store owner.

mfmangel1 · #9 07-05-2006, 10:58 PM

Obviously, no one knows what happens to a family behind the closed doors of their home, but the arguing seems to be isolated, especially in public.

I have to wonder what made the wife feel it was necessary to leave the home for a period of time and why, if it was because she had felt threatened, she hadn't called LE.

Why did he have to take the children with him....Why?

cathieq · #10 07-07-2006, 10:35 PM

GUSTINE, Calif. - A man who killed his four children while they were sleeping before fatally shooting himself had recently lost his job and was intoxicated after fighting with his wife, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin said Friday.

http://tinyurl.com/pdypp

I don't care if he was drunk, unemployed, and terminally ill - that is still NO excuse for his actions.

proadvocate · #11 07-07-2006, 10:45 PM

The only good thing in this fiasco is he killed himself.Since this occured in Ca his failure to do so would have most likely resulted in a trip to death row where the taxpayers would have kept his sorry ass up for the next 60 years waiting for him to die of lethal age.The sad part is he didn't kill himself first then do the kids.Well ok the really sad part is we now get to hear the thug lovers tell us how troubled the poor guy was and how we as a society drove him to the senseless murder of his children,gee I can hardly wait.

Txmom · #12 07-08-2006, 12:49 AM

Personally, I dont care what his problems are.....how many of us single mothers have problems everyday, but we would never think of killing our children because we are depressed, etc.

He should have left the house and gone into the back yard and killed himself out there where he wouldnt have gotten the house dirty.

We are such a selfish society, it has to be our way and only our way, or we kill.

panthera · #13 07-08-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathieq

And so another coward decides to take his kids with him...What is so maddening about these murder-suicides is that he will receive no punishment in this life. He was thinking only of himself! I don't want to hear how much he loved his kids - what a wonderful father he was -that is bulls--. You don't do things like that to people you love. You want to protect them. You don't consider them possessions, like you control whether they live or die. You treasure their existence. Honestly...things like this make my blood boil!

The eternal punishment he will receive is far greater than keeping him alive in a prison for years. Sorry to appear "cold" - but when these creeps do such horrendous acts as killing their children, it is good that they turn the gun on themselves. I remember the story of John List who did in his whole family and then went on to "start a new life" and wasn't captured for years.

panthera · #14 07-08-2006, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txmom

Personally, I dont care what his problems are.....how many of us single mothers have problems everyday, but we would never think of killing our children because we are depressed, etc.

He should have left the house and gone into the back yard and killed himself out there where he wouldnt have gotten the house dirty.

We are such a selfish society, it has to be our way and only our way, or we kill.

It sounds like he was exacting revenge on his wife by killing the children before turning the gun on himself. To think that he'd have to reload the gun each time before killing the next victim, I can't imagine the remaining kids slept through the entire thing until they were the last one left...

mssheila · #15 07-08-2006, 08:48 PM

The thought of losing one of my boys sends chills up my spine. The thought that their FATHER could ever lay a harmful finger on them is unimaginable. I feel so sorry for this woman.. the only survivor. Her husband and her FOUR children are dead. Just like that.... poof. Her whole world just dissappeared and all she has left is the terrible knowledge that the person she married and must have loved (even if at some point) has murdered their babies. I can't even fathom the grief....... I'll pray for this lady.

kidzndogznme · #16 07-09-2006, 12:55 AM

I don't mean this to sound as though I am throwing stones but I have to say that I have been in an abusive relationship. At one point, my husband yelled and screamed and threatened me so badly that I felt as though I was in danger. I managed to sneak out of the house......and I took my kids with me. If this woman felt like she needed to get away for whatever reason, why not take the kids too???? I don't get it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfmangel1

Obviously, no one knows what happens to a family behind the closed doors of their home, but the arguing seems to be isolated, especially in public.

I have to wonder what made the wife feel it was necessary to leave the home for a period of time and why, if it was because she had felt threatened, she hadn't called LE.

Why did he have to take the children with him....Why?

mfmangel1 · #17 07-09-2006, 01:10 AM

I am sorry about your past. I have been there, too. I wondered the same thing myself. Why didn't the mother take the children with her? All I can think of is that the children were asleep, the father apparently made no threats toward them and this was a completely isolated, one time ocurrance. She had absolutely no experience in dealing with this before and thought everything would be fine if she just gave him time to calm down. Of course, I am assuming his anger was directed at her and her need to now work and the loss of his job....That it had nothing to do with the children.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidzndogznme

I don't mean this to sound as though I am throwing stones but I have to say that I have been in an abusive relationship. At one point, my husband yelled and screamed and threatened me so badly that I felt as though I was in danger. I managed to sneak out of the house......and I took my kids with me. If this woman felt like she needed to get away for whatever reason, why not take the kids too???? I don't get it.

cathieq · #18 07-10-2006, 04:27 PM

Very informative article (long):

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/12...13151364c.html

...He was an "All-American dad" who often could be found in front of his Gustine home, laughing and playing with his four young children.
He was a callous "monster" who walked from room to room in that house and systematically killed each of his sleeping children with a hunting rifle...