Father Murders Wife, Son, Daughter Then Suffers Heart Attack: 'What Could Bring Someone to Such a Dark Place?' Asks Horrified Police
Police in Robbins, Ill., are now searching for answers after a father left them no apparent clue of his motive for murdering his wife, 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter, who he chased and shot in the back before dying of a heart attack on Sunday.
"I cannot imagine what could bring someone to such a dark place where they believe they need to take the lives of his whole family," said the shaken Robbins Police Chief Mitchell Davis in a news conference Monday morning, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The father, Michael Worsham, 43, began his shooting spree at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to police. They said "for reasons unexplained" Worsham shot his son, Steven, 17, in the kitchen of the family home then went upstairs to his wife of 12 years, Michelle Ollie, dragged her out of bed and shot her too.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Police said Worsham's 14-year-old stepson who was inside the home heard a "pop" and went downstairs to investigate and "saw his brother lying dead on the floor."
"The 14-year-old stated that he attempted to wrestle the gun away from his stepfather, but his stepfather told him if he stopped fighting him, he could leave," explained Davis.
The boy, however, refused to leave without his 15-year-old sister, Trisdion, and a 5-year-old nephew, who were still alive. The boy said he shouted to them and they all ran from the house. Worsham however fired at the three children and hit his daughter who collapsed on the front porch of the family home.
"As they're all running out of the house, she was the last to leave and was shot," said Davis. The 14-year-old boy and his 5-year-old nephew kept running. Worsham dragged his daughter's body back inside the home and fired at witnesses who had stopped their car.
Police said Worsham worked as a security guard for the Thornton School District and had the relevant firearm permits. Relatives said his wife was a childcare worker at a teen shelter.
Worsham's second cousin, Toni Gardner, said he had been hospitalized with possibly heart trouble six months ago, but could not explain why he killed his family.
"He was a big cream puff," said Gardner. "There was no sign of anything. No physical abuse, no psychological abuse that anyone knew of. We don't know what triggered any of this. After they do all their forensics and their investigating, I'm sure they will say he was some kind of monster, but he was not a monster."
