A devout Christian family of three found shot to death in their Pennsylvania backyard last week took turns killing one another as part of a murder-suicide pact they made months earlier, police said Friday.
Morgan Daub, 26, and her parents, James Daub, 62, and Deborah Daub, 59, left detailed notes explaining they made the “joint decision” to end their lives together on Jan. 24 after Morgan told her parents she wished to commit suicide, the West Manchester Township Police Department said in a release.
The family left several written documents detailing their journey dating back at least nine months, cops said.
According to papers written by Deborah, she and Morgan had originally planned to kill themselves together and leave James behind. In an April 2022 note, she writes that Morgan chose their execution date based on a bible verse in which two parents give their child back to God.
“Samuel 1:24-28 Morgan chose the date! I believe I have to be with her!” Deborah wrote.Deborah also wrote about the “evil” Morgan and the family faces, but police said she didn’t go into great detail.
“The rest of the letter seems to be directed to or about God and to her husband, James Daub. The letter reads as if she expects James to survive them after their passing,” police said.
According to a letter left by James, he was not originally part of the pact but opted to join after hearing that his wife and daughter were planning to leave him.
“[H]e was crushed when Morgan told ‘us’ that she must end her life,” police said of his letter.
I was too shaky, so my daughter pulled the trigger for me,” Deborah wrote.
Morgan, who was found wearing earmuffs, did not leave a note, but police determined she shot herself.
Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head and were “arranged in a straight line starting just a few feet from the porch and extending south.”
Police recovered an extensive checklist Morgan made that contained preparatory steps before ending her life, including speaking to her father, clipping the dog’s nails, letters to family, etc. They also left instructions for their living family, including instructions for the care of their dog.
The West Manchester Township Police Department said one of the letters, written by Deborah, indicated the family had made a “joint decision” to end their lives. It reportedly included biblical references, and mentioned ”the evil that has mounted against Morgan and the family. The note was dated Jan. 19, 2023.
Investigators said they also recovered suicide letters signed by James and Deborah. The former reportedly wrote, “with only 2 guns & me being shaky, my wife Debbie pulled the trigger for me.” The note signed by Deborah read, “I was too shaky, so my daughter pulled the trigger for me.” Both of the letters were Jan. 24, 2023.
Law enforcement said they believe Deborah fatally shot her husband, and was then shot and killed by her daughter. Morgan, who lived with her parents, apparently died by suicide. However, lead Det. Timothy Fink told the York Dispatcher, “We may never know with certainty exactly who fired each shot.”
Fink also revealed that each of the letters included instructions and financial information for relatives, including the whereabouts of their insurance policies and how to access their bank accounts. The detective also said the family had sedated their dog with drugs so “it would not pose a threat to first responders.”
The tragedy took place just months after Morgan posted a YouTube video in which she referred to herself as “a prophet of the most high God.”
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