The Alton massacre: Three dead in tragedy

How does one explain the horrific family murders that took place in Alton last Tuesday evening at approximately 9:30?

A 19-year-old, Gaurav Chopra, with no previous criminal record, stands charged with fatally shooting his father, mother, grandmother. He is also charged with trying to kill his brother.

Chopra is currently locked up with no bond offered for the capital murder charges.

The home is located at 3701 E. Roosevelt Ave., in the upscale Alton gated subdivision of Tuscany Village, near 6 Mile and Glasscock.

My guess is, he’ll plead not guilty, but home surveillance footage will seal shut the DA’s case against him. Not to mention, his younger brother is still alive to testify against him, should this case ever make it to trial, which isn’t likely to happen.

Big question is, why?

Murders like these, labeled “family annihilations” by criminologists, happen approximately once every five days in the U.S., with Texas taking top billing. (Source: USAToday.)

Most, however, are of the murder- suicide variety, where one family member kills his entire family before taking his own life.

Cases where a child (usually it’s a son) kills the parents (parricide), like the deaths of Rob Reineer and his wife last December, account for only approximately 2 percent of all homicides in the U.S.

More often, the “family annihilation” murders mirror that of Matthew Mitchell, a 52-year-old Houston-area restaurateur, living in upscale Rier Oaks, who fatally shot his pregnant wife last month along with their two young children, 8 and 4, before taking his own life.

In April 2021, two brothers, 21 and 19, living in a Dallas suburb, shot and killed their father, mother, twin sister, and grandmother, before each took his own life. The motive? From an online manifesto written by one of the killers — years of dealing with severe, unaddressed depression.

Data from the Texas Council on Family Violence, citing criminologists, suggest Texas is ranked first due to access to firearms (what about Alabama?), and the so-called “Pressure Cooker” Effect.

What’s that?

It’s a common theme in many of these “family annihilation” cases, which involves a rapidly growing, high-stress suburban environment where some families (sons) feel intense pressure to maintain a perfect public image.

By killing mom and dad, grandma?

In the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife, their son Nick, charged with their deaths, clearly had a long history of drug addiction, mental issues.

The tragic Alton case, though, it’s the why that needs answering.

At least the brother got away, even though he’s now looking at lifelong trauma. Poor kid, now an orphan.