Post by lace on Oct 21, 2006 17:34:37 GMT -5
Domestic Violence Murder-Suicide In Burnsville
Couple's Children Made 911 Calls
Karla Hult
Reporting
(WCCO) Burnsville, Minn. A Burnsville man apparently stabbed and beat his wife to death before killing himself Sunday night, police said. The woman's teenage children were home when the assault began and they left the house to call police.
"As they came downstairs to try to help mom they saw that mom had been cut severely," Burnsville police Sgt. Dan Carlson said. "Fearing for their own safety they exited the house and called us."
The teens, ages 13, 14 and 16, went next door to Nancy Stelter's townhouse and told her of the attack. The 16-year-old called police about 10 p.m.
The parents were identified Monday as Travis Kastner, 35, and Rachel Kastner, 35.
"The kids said dad killed mom," Stelter said Monday. When she went next door to check, she said, "I saw her laying at the bottom of the steps with a knife in her belly."
SWAT teams and K-9 units responded and they saw the woman was dead, but the man didn't come out of the house. Police also called in a State Patrol helicopter. After a few hours, police fired tear gas into the house, then entered and found Travis Kastner n dead. He apparently shot himself, Carlson said.
Rachel Kastner had apparently been stabbed and beaten to death, Carlson said.
"She was pretty mangled up, as far as bent up and laying on the floor," said Nancy Stelter, a neighbor. "There was blood everywhere and I kinda knew she wasn't okay."
Autopsies were pending.
The woman was the mother to all three children, Carlson said. Stelter, the neighbor, said the husband was the father of the 14-year-old girl, but not the father of the boy or his 13-year-old sister.
"It was like one of those CSI movies on TV," Stelter said. "Her son said she was yelling for help and he saw the dad beating her and blood flying. The boy said he doesn't know how he could live without her."
Stelter said the children told her the Kastners had been arguing some time.
"It's extremely sad, especially when I heard there were three children involved," said Karen Rustad, a neighbor.
Rachel Kastner's relatives said she was in the middle of divorcing Travis Kastner.
"They've been having troubles for a while," said Heather Specht, who is married to Rachel Kastner's brother. Specht said Rachel Kastner's family had suspected her husband was abusing her and knew he had a "temper."
"I never thought it'd go that far," Specht said. "It's kind of a mind-blower."
Police said there were no previous calls to the house or reports of domestic violence involving the couple.
wcco.com/topstories/local_story_289072344.html
Couple's Children Made 911 Calls
Karla Hult
Reporting
(WCCO) Burnsville, Minn. A Burnsville man apparently stabbed and beat his wife to death before killing himself Sunday night, police said. The woman's teenage children were home when the assault began and they left the house to call police.
"As they came downstairs to try to help mom they saw that mom had been cut severely," Burnsville police Sgt. Dan Carlson said. "Fearing for their own safety they exited the house and called us."
The teens, ages 13, 14 and 16, went next door to Nancy Stelter's townhouse and told her of the attack. The 16-year-old called police about 10 p.m.
The parents were identified Monday as Travis Kastner, 35, and Rachel Kastner, 35.
"The kids said dad killed mom," Stelter said Monday. When she went next door to check, she said, "I saw her laying at the bottom of the steps with a knife in her belly."
SWAT teams and K-9 units responded and they saw the woman was dead, but the man didn't come out of the house. Police also called in a State Patrol helicopter. After a few hours, police fired tear gas into the house, then entered and found Travis Kastner n dead. He apparently shot himself, Carlson said.
Rachel Kastner had apparently been stabbed and beaten to death, Carlson said.
"She was pretty mangled up, as far as bent up and laying on the floor," said Nancy Stelter, a neighbor. "There was blood everywhere and I kinda knew she wasn't okay."
Autopsies were pending.
The woman was the mother to all three children, Carlson said. Stelter, the neighbor, said the husband was the father of the 14-year-old girl, but not the father of the boy or his 13-year-old sister.
"It was like one of those CSI movies on TV," Stelter said. "Her son said she was yelling for help and he saw the dad beating her and blood flying. The boy said he doesn't know how he could live without her."
Stelter said the children told her the Kastners had been arguing some time.
"It's extremely sad, especially when I heard there were three children involved," said Karen Rustad, a neighbor.
Rachel Kastner's relatives said she was in the middle of divorcing Travis Kastner.
"They've been having troubles for a while," said Heather Specht, who is married to Rachel Kastner's brother. Specht said Rachel Kastner's family had suspected her husband was abusing her and knew he had a "temper."
"I never thought it'd go that far," Specht said. "It's kind of a mind-blower."
Police said there were no previous calls to the house or reports of domestic violence involving the couple.
wcco.com/topstories/local_story_289072344.html