Usher at his Catholic church. Aerospace engineer, friendly outgoing guy who loved his dog, kept a neat yard and even decorated for Christmas. Sounds like a model citizen. I would ask what happened to make him crack, except for the fact that he plotted it all out and planned to escape to Canada. Psychologists will have a field day with this nut.
I would say the job loss had much to do with it. At my job just before Christmas over 1000 people were laid off...it was horrible. Many were desperate and even suicidal. I kept my job so far.