UPDATE: Stockton Police Reveal Identities Of 4 Killed In Murder-Suicide
STOCKTON (CBS13) - Police released names of the four people found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Stockton Monday. They also say the women who died were the suspect's ex-wife, her aunt and her sister.
On Monday at 3:05 p.m., police received the call reporting a shooting in the 400 block of N. Regent Street. When they arrived, they found 64-year Kathleen Arata dead from a gunshot wound. Witnesses described the suspect and his silver mini van to police.
While investigating the shooting, police received a call of another shooting in the 3500 block of Wagner Heights Road at a senior assisted living center. There, they saw a van matching the suspect's van parked outside.
Inside a room at the residence, police found Chizuko Kaneishi, 88, with a gunshot wound. They also found the suspect, marriage counselor Colin McGrattan, 45, dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A .38 special handgun was laying nearby.
Kaneishi was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Inside the van, police found the body of McGrattan's ex-wife, Jacklyn Arata, 57, wrapped in a tarp. She had been shot.
Police say Kathleen was Jacklyn's sister and Kaneishi was their aunt.
Homicide investigators are exploring the financial motive for this murder-suicide.
Courtney Bradford was McGrattan's roommate. She was well aware of the 45-year-old's financial 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 amount of money he had to pay the lawyer for all the divorce court stuff."
McGrattan was a marriage counselor in Stockton. His website says he specialized in anger management and family issues.
The couple shared two sons.
"The other night he was talking about how upset he was about them not wanting to come visit his family for Christmas," Bradford said.
Police continue to investigate what led the accused killer to go after not only his ex-wife, but her 64 and 88-year-old relatives.
"Investigators are talking to people who knew the suspect to see what he was going through," Silva said. "Maybe he told someone else the hardships he may have been having."
His roommate said she never saw any signs that she was living with a killer.
"I wonder, 'Did he ever make a plan for this before I was here or has it immediately randomly happened?'" she said.
