Triple murder suspect was in contentious divorce

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — A California family counselor suspected of killing his estranged wife and two of her relatives before he committed suicide had been in a contentious divorce that included a fight over property valued as high as $ 1 million, a defense attorney said.

Divorce proceedings between suspect Colin McGrattan, 45, and his estranged wife, Jackie Arata, 57, had been tense and focused on Arata's family ranch in nearby Linden, attorney Dennis Duncan, who represented Arata, told the Record of Stockton on Tuesday.

Police suspect McGrattan killed Arata, her sister, Kathleen Arata, 64, and their aunt, Chizuko Kanieshi, 88, before killing himself on Monday in Stockton, police said. McGrattan and Kanieshi died in a senior home.

A call placed to Duncan by The Associated Press on Wednesday was not immediately returned. A call placed to McGrattan's attorney Michael Babitzke also was not immediately returned.

Duncan said Arata inherited orchards and a home from a family trust, and McGrattan thought he had a claim to the property valued between $ 500,000 and $ 1 million. They had leased the orchards to farmers and lived in the home until their separation in October 2010.

"Colin had thought in his mind that, with all they had done together to take care of Jackie's mother before she died, that he had some right to the ranch," Duncan said. "She didn't want him to have it, and the law is very clear that she had sole and separate ownership."

Officer Joe Silva, a police spokesman, said it was unknown where the killing spree began, but investigators suspect McGrattan killed Jackie Arata on Monday afternoon then drove her minivan to Kathleen Arata's home where he fatally shot her.

McGrattan then drove to the senior home where he killed Kanieshi in her room before shooting himself in the head. Police later discovered Jackie Arata's body wrapped in a tarp inside her van.

As a counselor, McGrattan mediated arguments between squabbling couples and helped parents and their children through behavioral issues. He and his wife have two teenage sons.

His roommate, Courtney Bradford, told KOVR-TV that she was well aware of his woes.

"As long as I've known him, he's been very kind," she said. "He was talking to me a lot about losing his home and bankruptcy and the money, lawyer for all the divorce court stuff."

Read More @ Source



Criminal Stories Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homicide victim found at vacant Everett house

Image
EVERETT -- Police on Wednesday were canvassing the View Ridge-Madison neighborhood in Everett after a man was found dead there the night before. A neighbor spotted the man on the ground outside a vacant house at 22 Madison St. He called 911 about 6:20 p.m. The man had obvious signs of trauma to his torso, police said. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The Everett Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death as a homicide, Lt. Robert Goetz said. Detectives declined to say more about how they believe the man may have died. There are no identified suspects or motives. Detectives received a search warrant around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and collected evidence at the scene. They returned Wednesday afternoon to look for clues in the daylight, Goetz said. The victim's identity had not been determined as of late Wednesday afternoon. The body was turned over to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 425-257-8450. Rikki King: 425-
Keep reading

Manslaughter charges possible in boy's death

Image
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:55 p.m. MONROE -- Detectives believe a 7-year-old Monroe boy's parents should face second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with his January overdose death. Monroe police this week wrapped up their probe into the boy's Jan. 30 death and forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide if his parents should face criminal charges. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul likely will begin reviewing the case in the coming days. She doesn't expect to make a charging decision in the near future, however. "It's quite an extensive investigation, and I want to review it thoroughly before I make any decision," she said. The boy, identified as "A.J." in court papers, ingested a lethal amount of salicylates, a chemical common in aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. The medical examiner declined to conduct an autopsy on the boy, making it difficult to determine how the drug ended up in the boy's system. A
Keep reading