Brutal Crimes

Looking back, Karen says she may have brushed away some signals. Just a few months before they separated, Karen found out Mike was leading a secret life. Mike had tried to commit suicide and left a suicide note at a Gamblers' Anonymous place. "And the lady there called and read the note over the phone to me and I knew nothing about his gambling," Karen says. "And, you know, he didn't pay any of our bills [for months]…So I just didn't realize the extent of his lies at that point."

But Karen says Michael had never been abusive or shown excessive anger. "He was a very good father," she says. "He [played] a very active role from the time they were infants."

Karen's mother, Pat, agrees and says it was a huge shock to her because Mike was such a good father. "For him to harm the children—I saw no sign."