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A Missouri man has been charged with the murders of his girlfriend, her mother and the woman's two children in the Friday night shootings that ended with an exchange of gunfire before police arrested him.
Richard Darren Emery, 46, was still in the hospital Saturday and expected to be transferred to jail once released after law enforcement charged him with 15 counts in the slayings of Kate Kasten, 39, Zoe Kasten, 8; her brother, Jonathan Kasten, 10; and their grandmother, Jane Moeckel, 61 (not pictured).
The motive for the St-Louis-area slayings was unclear on Saturday evening as police revealed the identitie(s) of those involved.
Calling the incident 'horrific', CBS News reported St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said during a news conference: 'What can possess someone to take the life of a child, is beyond on me - and we may never know.
'This one in particular was the worst example of a domestic violence case. Anytime you have a domestic violence case you worry about the safety of the victim, and this would be your worst nightmare.'
Emery could face 30 years to life in prison for his crimes which include first-degree murder.
'It's premature for us to make any sort of pronouncement about that right now, but I can tell you this thing looks and smells like a death penalty case,' Lohmar added.
The children's father Kory Kasten passed away after losing his battle with cancer last summer.
His aunt Diane Kasten posted a tribute to the family on Saturday.
'My beloved nephew, Kory, with the family he loved so much,' she posted on Facebook alongside a snap of her late family. 'All stolen from us - Kory by cancer, and now Kate, Jonathan, and Zoe, by a man with a gun. I will miss you all everyday for the rest of my life. There are no words.'
Three victims were found dead inside the home in the suburb of about 70,000 people on the Missouri River northwest of St Louis.
Kate Kasten was taken to a local hospital and died there, according to St Charles Police Lt Tom Wilkison.
Police stopped the suspect as he tried to drive away from the home, and a short gun battle followed.
The suspect then fled on foot, tried unsuccessfully to steal a woman's car, stabbed her several times and fled again on foot. Her injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.
The suspect was taken into custody at a convenience store a few miles away at about 7.30am Saturday where he was injured.
Police were called to the scene by a phone call from within the home a few minutes before midnight Friday, though they were not saying who made it.
'During that phone call, the 911 operator could hear gunshots in the background,' Wilkison told The Associated Press.
Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and helicopter and SWAT units converged in the neighborhood where the shootings occurred and cordoned it off but couldn't find the suspect. He was reported at the convenience store about seven hours later.
'My sense is that he went in there seeking shelter. It was really cold last night,' said Capt Scott Will of the Major Case Squad of Greater St Louis, leading the investigation.
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