Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mechanicsville, VA: UPDATE: Mechanicsville Deaths Ruled Murder-Suicide

Hanover County authorities have officially ruled the deaths of a Mechanicsville man and his twin three-year-old daughters a murder-suicide.

Authorities said in a release Monday afternoon that Robert King, 40, and his twin daughters, Caroline and Madison King, all had lacerations to their neck as well as carbon monoxide poisoning.

The medical examiner said all three died from either one or a combination of those factors.

"I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased as they mourn the loss of their loved ones, said Hanover Sheriff Col. David R. Hines. "No words can fully describe the pain they must be experiencing during this incredibly difficult time."

Saturday, officers responded to a home in the 7900 block of Wynbrook Lane, just off of Mechanicsville Turnpike and not far from Interstate 295, at about 3:30 p.m. Inside, officers discovered the bodies of , both three years old.

Robert King lived at the Wynbrook Lane home. The twin girls resided with their mother, Kristina Hooper, in the 5000 block of Pole Green Road.

Monday, Hooper spoke out about the incident exclusively to 8News. She said the leading up to Saturday, she and King were recently separated, and were going through a battle for custody of the twin girls. She also said she was the one who found all three dead inside the home.

"It is the worst possible thing you can ever, ever go through," said Hooper. "ever."

Hooper said the twin girls were staying with King this weekend at the Wynbrook Lane residence. Hooper told 8News she called to check on them, but King's phone was not working. She sensed something was wrong and drove to the house.

"I heard the carbon monoxide beeper going off and realized that the van was against the door," she said. "There was drying tubing connecting all the way to their bedroom."

Court records released Monday confirmed the van's exhaust was linked to a room in the home via tubing.

Neighbors, family and friends have set up a memorial outside of the home with flowers and stuffed animals. A vigil for Caroline and Madison has been set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 7986 Wynbrook Lane.

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