Father Kills Children, Self

The Birmingham News ^ | 06/01/03 | Eric Velasco

[Laura Earl]

Father kills children, self (Sunday, 6/01/2003, Birmingham News ) Hours after his wife said she wanted a divorce, an Etowah County father stabbed his three children and hanged himself, leaving an audiotape describing his actions, a sheriff said.

[Laura Earl]

This happened in my hometown. Pretty awful stuff.

[Laura Earl]

ping

[y2k_free_radical]

Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand.

[y2k_free_radical]

Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand.

[Laura Earl]

"Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand."

Nor will I. It is my believe that these people should go ahead and commit suicide first, to get that out of the way.

[HiTech RedNeck]

A fiendish evenge writ in blood.

[HiTech RedNeck]

evenge -> revenge

[Laura Earl]

lulabelle,

Let's remove our tag line for this thread so no one will get the wrong idea. This heinous story has nothing to do with aspartame.

OK

[Arpege92]

Very sad!

[brewcrew]

Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand.

It's the ultimate selfish act - if I can't have 'em, neither can she. It's also as immature as it gets. Hard to understand - yes.

[Reelect President Dubya]

"Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand."

Because nobody gives a $&#@ when a worthless piece of human debris commits suidide. Taking innocent people with you forces them to at least notice.

[SamAdams76]

These people are so consumed with hate for their spouse that they would kill their own children to guarantee that they never end up with her or her family. I'll never understand it either and I'm glad I have a marriage that is happy and stable. I know people who have had bad marriages and it fills them with hate and makes them do crazy things.

[Question_Assumptions]

Why kill the innocent children ?I don't think i'll ever understand.

Why do people have abortions rather than give the children up for adoption? There is a strong, "If I can't have it, nobody can." can streak in some people. I suspect that there was more going on here than a mere request for a divorce, possibly the threat of, "I'll take the children, pets, and house and you'll get nothing." The wife going out with her friends may or may not be part of it, too. I don't think we are getting the whole story here.

Note that I'm not justifying the death of the kids or the pets. I'm explaining what I think happened, especially in light of an earlier thread about men killing themselves and having their lives ruined with child support payments and such.

[RMDupree]

In its entirety:

About 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Wendy Krost discovered her 36-year-old husband, William Eric Krost, hanging just inside their Tabor Road home, said Etowah County Sheriff James Hayes. She ran out and called 911, Hayes said.

Wendy Krost thought her children were safe at a home where she had dropped them off for a slumber party before going out for the night with some of her own friends.

But deputies instead found Brandon, 10; Ashley, 8; and Katherine, 4 all stabbed to death inside the Krost home.

"He was not mad at the kids," Hayes said. "He just wanted to take away from his wife everything she had ever cared for."

Krost also decapitated all six family pets two dogs, three cats and an albino boa constrictor, Hayes said.

The Krosts had been married 15 years, but had been having marital problems lately, Hayes said. Methamphetamine use by one or both of the parents may also have contributed, he said.

About 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the father picked up his children from the home where they were staying, Hayes said.

"How long it was after that it was until this heinous act, we don't know, but we think it was 3:30 or 4 a.m.," the sheriff said.

William Eric Krost made a tape recording, which possibly included his killing the children, Hayes said.

"There are things on the tape indicating he did but he inadvertently taped over it," the sheriff said.

During the hourlong recording, Krost said he didn't want his wife to have the children, Hayes said. He left the tape for his wife to find.

"It was awful language," Hayes said. "He was getting back at his wife for asking for the divorce."

Hayes said he did not know how many stab wounds each child sustained. Autopsies are planned for them and the father.

Deputies were able to speak briefly Saturday with Wendy Krost. She was with her parents Saturday night.

"I don't think it's set in what happened yet," Hayes said.

Describing the crime scene as "gruesome," Hayes said the investigation has taken a toll on deputies, many of whom have children of their own.

"They were defenseless," Hayes said of the Krost children. "Any death is bad, but it's aggravated when kids or the elderly are involved. This is the worst act of violence against kids I have ever seen in my life, and I've been in law enforcement 32 years next week."

[Conspiracy Guy]

I agree with you. In a murder/suicide always commit the suicide first. There are better ways to let your spouse know that you aren't pleased than killing the kids. Seems like Etowah County has gone wacko lately and it seems that MethAm is involved everytime. This guy was obviously going to burn in he!!.

[walford]

"'He was not mad at the kids,' Etowah County Sheriff James Hayes said. 'He just wanted to take away from his wife everything she had ever cared for.'

Krost also decapitated all six family pets two dogs, three cats and an albino boa constrictor, Hayes said."

It may seem a bit of a stretch, but this is why I think religion is necessary [remebering that 'religion' also originated outside the Mid-East]. Bear with me.

A valid and functional religion teaches us that:
* Life is a blessing.
* We are each responsible for our actions
* We each have a stake in the world that we leave behind

If that cretin knew that he would not escape the consequences of what he did by offing himself, who knows? I do concede that some people just don't care and are evil a*holes.

There are those who are so self-absorbed that they believe if they can't have what they want, then nobody else can either, so they destroy. Curse them.

[HiTech RedNeck]

""He was not mad at the kids," Hayes said. "He just wanted to take away from his wife everything she had ever cared for."

Krost also decapitated all six family pets two dogs, three cats and an albino boa constrictor, Hayes said."

[Consort]

A nearly identical incident happened about 5 weeks ago in Nokesville, VA:

Father kills his 3 children, and self.

In Etowah, the kids were 10, 8, and 4.
In Nokesville, they were 9, 7, and 5. Strange.

[Laura Earl]

Unfortunately, this probably happens more that we are aware.