Dad took kids to amusement park before murder-suicide that killed 5, authorities say
SINKING SPRING, Pa. -- Authorities said a father was responsible for a murder-suicide in Sinking Spring, Pa., that left his wife and their three children dead.
Mark Short Sr., 40, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Berks County district attorney's office announced Monday.
He was found dead inside his home on Aug. 6. A gun was found next to him and a note with an apparent confession was found on a table.
Also near his body were those of his wife, 33-year-old Megan, and their three children: 8-year-old Lianna, 5-year-old Mark Jr. and 2-year-old Willow.
In a news conference, authorities released details about the days and weeks leading up the deaths.
In early June, security from a Philadelphia hotel responded to a report of a domestic dispute in a room where Short and his wife had been staying.
That was followed by a police response for another domestic dispute at their home on July 18, but no charges were filed.
The next day, police said Short bought a handgun and ammunition from a store in Lancaster County.
The day before the killings, the district attorney said Mark Short took his three children to Hershey Park.
On August 6, the district attorney said Megan Short's mom called police because her daughter failed to show up for a lunch date.
Megan Short was also set to move to an apartment in Yardley, Pa. that same day, the district attorney said.
Police responded to the home to find the bodies inside.
Neighbors say Megan Short had posted on social media before her death that she planned to leave her husband. A funeral Mass was held Friday.
