A heart-breaking story out of Santa Clara, in Northern California. Devan Kalathat took his own life– but only after shooting his wife, his two children, and three other relatives (including an 11-month old baby girl) who had just arrived from India.
A father is suspected of killing his two children and three other relatives before taking his own life in an upscale neighborhood of Silicon Valley where the family had recently moved.
Authorities were still searching Tuesday for a motive in Sunday night’s slayings, though they have said financial issues did not appear to be a factor. [Yahoo]
Everyone died except Kalathat’s wife, who remained in critical condition Tuesday with multiple gunshot wounds in her upper body. She managed to stumble outside and collapse on a concrete pathway, where she was found in a pool of blood by neighbors. Along with the bodies of five others, including his two children and niece, police found Kalathat inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The two handguns were laying nearby. [SJMercuryNews]
Various reports I’ve read indicate that Kalathat had just moved his family in to the home (which complicates investigating the crime, since their neighbors didn’t know them well); his brother-in-law, Ashok Appu Poothemkandi, who had worked for Hewlett-Packard in Bangalore, had just moved to America with his wife and infant daughter to start a two-year assignment here.
Relatives from India say Kalathat and his wife’s brother quarreled. But so much is still unknown.
“I can’t imagine him losing his cool like that,” said a neighbor who lived next door to the couple in Sunnyvale from 2000 to 2003. “I would have never imagined him having guns. They don’t seem like the kind of people.”
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon in which they identified the dead for the first time, police would only say that they were investigating “family dynamics” as the motive for the killings — one of the deadliest in Santa Clara history. The couple apparently didn’t have financial problems. His engineering job at Yahoo appeared secure… [SJMercuryNews]
Some of you may recall a similar story from last year, in which financial problems were the motive for the murder of an entire family. Abhi blogged about it, here. Perhaps because of this, or due to the current economic climate, almost every news report I’ve read has emphasized that money doesn’t seem to be a factor in this sad case.
The murderer’s father-in-law sheds light on some of those “family dynamics” the police are investigating:
In a story posted Tuesday, the Times of India had an interview with Kalathat’s father-in-law, Appu Master, an 80-year-old retired school teacher, in Tamil Nadu. Master told the news organization that the shooter had a “quarrel” with Master’s son, Poothemkandi. [SJMercuryNews]
Poothemkandi was at the home for a housewarming party, but he may have been staying with his sister and brother-in-law, as well:
The man who gunned down his family in an apparent murder-suicide was an engineer at Yahoo Inc. who was helping his brother-in-law settle into Silicon Valley after arriving from southern India, police said Tuesday…
That was around the same time that Kalathat legally bought his second .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to police. He used that weapon, as well as a handgun purchased in February, in the shooting spree, they said. [sfgate]
People who know Kalathat seem shocked at the crime:
Abhilash Appu, 32, another brother-in-law of Kalathat, told the San Jose Mercury News that he had no idea why the bright, quiet man would turn on his family. “That we don’t know,” Appu said, speaking by phone from a village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Raji Rajan, a Sunnyvale lawyer who worked with Kalathat and his family to legally change their names in 2002, said she had vague recollections of him as “a very civilized, cultured and gentle guy.” [sfgate]
Please be respectful with your comments. While we don’t know much regarding this calamity at this point, we do know (based on past experience) that relatives and friends of the deceased often find their way here; they don’t need additional pain from insensitivity, assumptions, conjecture.
My prayers are with the families affected by this senseless act of violence. A young couple is dead, three of Appu Master’s grandchildren are gone and a woman is fighting for her life. What a tragedy.
As a medical student in Sf Bay Area, I’d like to point out to our community that the next big tragedy will be your children. High school (Silicon Valley) indian kids are coming to the hospital seeking treatment for nervous breakdown, depression and anxiety. It’s a terrible sight to see a weeping teenager in the emergency room at 2 a.m. They have been pushed over the edge by their parents to have perfect grades, get into Stanford, become a doctor etc. etc. When you interview the parents, their answer is “he/she hasn’t tried hard enough.Failure is not an option.”
No, family therapy should be an option.
Wow, I’m truly amazed at the people who choose to make political anti-gun statements at the time of someone’s death. Look, guns are a matter of individual liberty. If this guy didn’t have a gun he could just as easily have set fire to his home or slashed these people with a knife. This has nothing to do with guns.
This is a matter of getting help to people before they decide to turn violent. Once they turn violent, guns or no guns, they are gonna hurt someone.
I’ll keep my guns, thank you. And please keep your leftist agenda out of this thread.
I dont think its so complicated to figure out the reason.
-Since he is already married and the only other woman he killed is relatively new to him (brother-in-law’s wife), its unlikely there is any sort of ‘love’ in this murder-suicide equation.
This person seems to be a very meticulous planner. He is determined to take this extreme violent step and must be planning for months. So, its not a knee-jerk reaction to something that has happened recently.
Since he is from a rural background (or married someone with rural background), he must be having interest in land properties back in Kerala. He must be expecting something from his rich father-in-law. But his brother-in-law must have come in between him and his land. He must have taken the bigger share or must have interfered in his share. And he being closer to his father back in Kerala, must have a geographical advantage. And his wife must have supported her brother in this (which is typical) giving the reason that they are already in the US for the past 15 years and are more affluent. Even his brother-in-law and his relatively new bride must have decided on the same lines. People in India typically look at some snaps that Indians take in the US on clean roads and neighborhood and think everyone is very affluent.
But its only the Yahoo engineer who knows what it is to survive in this bay area with single income. He has been here 15 years and still does not own a home which is very untypical of an Indian. He must be pinching pennies to pay for private school tuitions for his kids. He must have seen lot of his friends own a beautiful home in Cupertino etc. He must be expecting that he would get a good share of property in Kerala from his wife’s side and sell it off to buy something good here. And all his expectations are now ruined because of his brother-in-law. Very few people think logically in this context – he would never look at the fact that he has a job and a good family, he would look at what he does not have, and feel sad that he had just missed that chance all because of this one man..his brother-in-law. AFter a particular point, its not about money, its about the ego..its about this sense of losing something which you thought for sure is yours. A small thing like this acts as a catalyst to go and take to this extreme step.
So, he must have realized that his brother-in-law is going to come on a foreign assignment, so he started making his evil plans culminating in these killings. He wanted to basically show them that if he cannot have something, nobody can have.. and that he is the boss. In summary, its the ego that played its diabolic trick!
Truthseeker…..wow…excellent perception. Really. Do you write?
Truthseeker, please don’t quit your day job.
Truthseeker – please see Anna’s comments regarding speculation – we are not Indian bibi’s or aunties who need to gossip:
“Please be respectful with your comments. While we don’t know much regarding this calamity at this point, we do know (based on past experience) that relatives and friends of the deceased often find their way here; they don’t need additional pain from insensitivity, assumptions, conjecture.”
AN UPDATE ON THE SHOOTING:
http://www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_12064602?nclick_check=1
The article basically says:
A woman whom officers believed was Devan Kalathat’s wife called police from a city park in Sunnyvale in July 2008, according to a police report obtained today by the Mercury News. While crying, she told a police dispatcher that her husband had taken her passport and all her documents. Police records indicate a translator was used on the phone.
Two police units responded and met Kalathat and the woman , according to the police report. Officers helped resolve the dispute in about 15 minutes, according to an interview today with Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Capt. Doug Moretto. There is no other information in the one paragraph report.
“If there was an actual domestic violence incident, where physical force was used or she felt fearful of that, the case would require documentation. And that did not occur here,” Moretto said.
The system makes it so tough to have someone committed to a mental institution or jail, especially if they are over 18. Cops just come by, have a word with the parties involved..and take off. And surprise, surprise..it turns into something like this!! I don’t blame the cops necessarily..but unless there is evidence of abuse, their hands are tied. Its so pathetic! What is anyone in his wife’s situation to do? If I were her, I would leave him and take the kids with me..
Not to seem heartless, but every marital dispute has two sides. Parents, in-laws, relatives and friends get drawn into the mess. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The heartbreaking thought is the harm done to the innocent children.
WildElephant : No, i will not quit..i’m worried about you though, looking after your website:)
GurMando : The only person who is insensitive here is the killer himself. Everyone else is trying to either help them or understand why this happened, so that if possible they can prevent it from happening again somewhere. Nobody is spreading rumors here.
Hearmeout : there is no cookie-cutter profile answer to your question “What is anyone in his wife’s situation to do?”. Only she can decide the answer, because noone really knows what the exact situation is.. The only thing that these associations for domestic violence do is separate the husband and wife..easy..that solves the problem for sure temporarily. Its like amputate the leg if you have a minor knee pain. They offer no solution other than that..or they might educate the woman about her rights which will then make her married life more like a relationship between a client and his lawyer rather than a husband and wife. So, the person in question SHE has to stand and find solution to herself rather than having strangers enter her personal life trying to symphathize and solutionize with half-baked information, prejudicial outlook and pseudo-intellectualism.
This might be one of the most offensive, ignorant, heartless comments I’ve seen this year. Please reconsider what you are implying about Domestic Violence, the groups which struggle to address it, and most of all, the women you are callously judging, not to mention misunderstanding entirely. “SHE has to stand”? Of, it were only that simple.
Gurmando, thank you for trying to inject sanity in to this discussion. We always appreciate it when our commenters step up and help us keep things civil. The right thing, the compassionate thing to do would be to heed these words:
“Please be respectful with your comments. While we don’t know much regarding this calamity at this point, we do know (based on past experience) that relatives and friends of the deceased often find their way here; they don’t need additional pain from insensitivity, assumptions, conjecture.”
Ten years ago, I was my Menlo Park shrink’s first ever Indian client. When I described my family, (I think) my shrink didn’t know how much of it was my personal craziness, and how much was the craziness of Indian culture. Now she has four or five Indians, including at least a couple of Muslims (who are often more conservative than most Hindus).
So maybe we Indians are opening up in our willingness to acknowledge the imperfectness of life, and to seek help … one can hope that many future tragedies will be preempted.
I sincerely hope you saying “craziness” is just your summary and that your shrink did not actually use that word. It’s bad enough when he/she would direct it at a client, but to then go on to direct it at a whole culture would make me wonder if you’re not dealing with a Mumford situation.
I also think some people do not seek counseling because they don’t really believe they have a problem. People stay in abusive relationships given that divorce is still considered taboo in Indian society. Incidents like these will hopefully provide as a wakeup call for those in abusive relationships and empower them to actually do something about it. I am not necessarily taking the wife’s side..but I don’t think anything warrants what he did.
And not just Indians abroad. In India too. Take my mom for instance. A complete nut case. These days, instead of just relying on Sai baba or guru du jour or any of our 1 million gods for succor, she also sees a shrink. And no it wasn’t my idea–she’d never listen to me. It turns out, other people she knew were seeing shrinks and ever one to follow the herd, she followed suit..
Considering the number of people who have been killed by murderous rage in the recent weeks gun control probably falls in the same category of regulation as unbridled capitalism of wall street bankers ? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/nyregion/04hostage.html?hp …Gunman open fire in immigration center killing 12 today
Robert Stewart, 45, shot and killed eight people at a nursing home in Carthage, N.C., Sunday before he was shot, wounded and arrested. Michael McLendon, 28, killed 10 people and then himself in a 24-mile shooting spree last month in southern Alabama. Lovelle Mixon, 26, shot and killed four Oakland police officers after a routine traffic stop March 21. Police shot and killed him later that day.
This seems more like the Afghan-Pak border to me.
Khalsa, maybe they screamed too much or demanded too many new toys? You seem to be making the claim that it’s understandable that a marital dispute could produce murderous rage. In that case, why not extend this rationale to kids who can also elicit extreme frustration from parents? What happened here is sad; moreover, I think conjecturing will-nilly about causes or valuing some lives as innocent or more innocent than others is completely immature and unnecessary. Innocence has no bearing on this issue. There is no provocation that should cause this state of affairs. No one here deserves what happened to them.
I completely agree with Brigette,weapons of mass destruction are more commonly used to kill someone else, and not nearly as often for self defense. If an argument blows out of proportion and there’s a gun in the house, who knows as to what might happen? And arson or poisoning takes way more creativity and planning…
as a desi guy let me just comment that it’s not easy to get a fair deal when going to therapy.
forget the desi, here’s a study to ponder
add to the covert and overt gender bias, the standing assumptions that a desi guy is a. an immigrant leech yet to learn ‘our ways’ b. a misogynistic bastard c. likely to kill his first born girl-child d. a sexually frustrated gnome (or a lecherous predator)
and it is not surprising that guys dont seek help sooner. the doors are closed. i know many guys who are here may not believe it, but they will find themselves near the edge in some phase of their relationships [yea! like i’m a grizzled veteran. but i listen vell :-)]. dont dismiss the professional help, but guys – your best friends are men. keep those relationships alive. they’ll bail your sorry ass out. i know i’ve leaned on guys for help. they’ve leaned on me. and so it goes. the professional help is the last choice.
someone tell me i’m wrong. please.
American culture is not what it used to be. Broken families are producing many deranged individual. Gun prohibitionist ought to focus their efforts on changing the culture.
You’re wrong. Having a good circle of male friends is wonderful – you’re smart to have figured that out, and lucky to have the friends. But it’s not an either-or choice. A good shrink can help you identify unhelpful patterns in your life, and help you change and grow, in ways that your friends may not be able to. (The first shrink you see may not be the right one for you – it’s a relationship, and you need to try a few to find one that works for you. Male or female shrink is also an important decision.)
These are horrific stories. But just as much as when individuals kill in the name of certain religions, everybody readily says “don’t blame or ban the religion for the act of some misguided person” why should guns be blamed for the way some people misuse them? Guns are no different than say cars. A tool that can be misused by a careless or dangerous person. 40,000+ people are killed on the roads every year . Is anyone calling for a ban on automobiles ?There are also 20,000 gun laws on the books, starting from 1934 onwards. The issue is one of enforcement, not additional laws.And unfortunately no amount of legislation is going to make your life safer. The government hardly has the greatest track record in protecting individuals through the ages.
This is one of those cases where the suspect was a meticulous sociopath. I’m not sure if there was any real way to prevent this particular tragedy.
However, there are some issues that should definitely be addressed in the context of the South Asian community at large.
The first is mental health. Many don’t want to address this. The stigma is VERY strong to not discuss these issues with a mental health professional. People tend to dismiss depression and it’s strongly urged that people should keep these issues within the family. A few years ago, I considered seeking a professional therapist (I never did because I realize it wasn’t necessary in my case), but even the mention of it shocked my mom. My dad was supportive though.
The second is related to female dependence on her husband. In this case, it sounds like the family led a very isolated life. And the woman in particular led a life where she depended on her husband for everything. She didn’t even learn English very well.
But I won’t get into any more idle speculation. This incident occurred a block from where I live. It’s really terrible.
Truthseeker, have you ever worked with or for any of these organizations? Or have you ever had to avail yourself of their resources?
They do alot more than offer half-baked info.
The fact is, that alot of these organizations give many women an oppurtunity to seperate themselves FOREVER from abusive partners.
Coincidence but I just saw the film VIDESH:HEAVEN ON EARTH
Gurmundo, what a sexist statment!
Here’s a perspective from a guy who claims to come from the same “stock” as this Mallu murderer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandip-roy/the-dark-twin-of-the-amer_b_181908.html
Sepiaaahhh:The fact is, that alot of these organizations give many women an oppurtunity to seperate themselves FOREVER from abusive partners.
Isn’t it same as “Its like amputate the leg if you have a minor knee pain.”
Truthseeker;
No, it’s not amputating the leg due due to minor knee pain. It’s separating yourself forever from an abusive “partner” and giving you the tools, often just a bit of self confidence and basic knowledge about “co-dependent relationships and how to avoid them”, needed to not get involved with another abusive partner in the future.
Vowing oneself off of men (or women in the case where a man was abused by a wife) forever would be like amputating the leg. But leaving one (replacable) man/woman, getting help and educating oneself on healthy, functional relationships with normal functional adults, and then being open to receiving a normal, loving and healthy partner into your life at some point in the future is not amputating the entire leg, but just getting rid of that one pain in the ass that made you feel like it spread to the leg as well.
Just because one’s first marriage was abusive does not mean the next one will be. But in order to stop the cycle one has to be willing to look at one’s own patterns of thought, often about one’s ownself. Self destructive thoughts like, “I deserved it. I have to stay with him because my family/society/culture/religion says so. I’m not good enough to attract a quality partner into my life. This is my fate/destiny/karma. I can’t do anything without him because I have no resources of my own.” etc, etc, etc. These are the dysfunctional, co-dependent thoughts that counseling can really help us get rid off.
Women (or men) oftentimes stay in abusive relationships because they have low self-esteem (sometimes taught to them by their culture/religion) and think that there is no other alternative.
When such women or men realize that there is ALWAYS at least one other alternative for everybody in ANY situation, then they can empower themselves to leave.
We are never stuck. Don’t fall for that.
I am very doubt about, This guy might have did something bad towards his brother in law’s wife and his wife and and her brother found, so there was some quarrel happened and Devan became so ashamed because of his bad behaviour, he took the gun and started firing. Now the queston is why did he buy the GUNS early ? he will be well aware of the legal stuffs, if he kill his brother in lw, he will be in jail for several years and he is not a fool to do such things….
Such a heartbreaking story….seems so senseless. my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.
I’m assuming Truthseeker comes from a cultural/family background which sees divorce as unacceptable and the (first) husband as irreplacable, hence the metaphor of the amputated leg.
One benefit for women from such backgrounds who come to this country is that those dangerous myths can be shattered.
Sepiaaahhh: Talking about my personal family background is out of context here. But now that you mentioned, let me tell you that i come from a background where men are honest and loving and respectful to their wifes who also reciprocate the same. So the chance of divorce never occured and will also never occur. God bless my family and so others.
The problem is where to draw a line between a bad and good spouse. There is no clear demarcation there. Sometimes spouses are provoked to do a particular action and when they do that, they are held responsible. And immediately divorce is shown as an option, which is totally incorrect. People who get divorced find another spouse and appear to live happily ever after not because they are really happy but because the first divorce had put so much of financial and emotional burden on them that they dont consider going thru it again. Also, they realize that the expectations are way too much during their first marriage and they come to the reality of life that no marriage can be perfect.
Truthseeker, I find your line of reasoning dangerous. No marriage is perfect so a woman should stay in an abusive marriage, because whatever other marriage is out there is not perfect either?
We are talking here about domestic violence and domestic violence shelters and counseling, NOT petty marital arguments that every couple has time to time. There is a huge difference.
I know several people who, after leaving an abusive marriage, have had plenty of healty and happy relationships subsequently.
Divorce is not the end of the world. For some people it’s the beginning of a new life.
And in any case, marriage is not a requirement to live a fulfilled life.
Sepiaaahhh : clearly we both are incompatible:) your deductions of my statements are totally obtuse. No point of conversing here. This will be my last reply to your comments. Thanks and good luck!
Truthseeker, this comment was posted by you, right?
So…. that means we are talking about the same thing – domestic violence and shelters for it.
911 tape conversation of indian lady helping the shot victim… http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/2009/04/santaclara_911tape040909.mp3 related story… http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12118391
This incident will hopefully serve as as a final reminder to all the men/women who live day in and day out in situations of domestic abuse. Though i am not playing the devil’s advocate here but I am surprised how almost everybody commenting here has taken the woman’s side but no one can possibly understand what the man must go through (despite his so called derangement) before he picks a gun and kills adults and innocent children. What has happened behind the closed doors and minds of those now dead and gone. the lives lost can’t be brought back but i am hoping this incident will serve as THE FINAL REMINDER to those currently living in domestic abuse (or maybe those stepping into future possible domestic abuse) that IT MUST BE STOPPED before it gets out of hand. Communicate or else walk-out before it is too late.
But no shred of evidence in this case that supports the domestic abuse theory. The snippets in the news certainly point to mental health issues … paranoia etc. His relatives back in India have mentioned him saying that he feels his life is in danger. Maybe a shrink would have helped.
There appears to be a lot of speculation in this forum about causes for this horrible killing, However, the whole thing disappeared off the national media radar after the 1st day. (Although I’m not sure if this a good or a bad thing, given the usually excessive media coverage of such events.)
updated news about this http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12876167?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Thanks Raj@89 for the update. I wonder how can the police close a case like this with so many people killed and no motive declared. One of the doctor has evinced doubt whether brain tumor can be the reason for loss of control. Hard to believe that he was hiding his medical condition from his wife. Not convincing whether loss of privacy alone can be a reason for closing the case so abruptly.
There must exist a reason for every domestic violence. If the victim is sure about the reason, then he/she can take appropriate action depending on his/her judgment on the reason(s). Appropriate action can be divorce if the reasons are incorrigible and unpreventable – no matter who is right or wrong. I think one can get good advice and techniques from some organizations (if exist) to fix the issues first before going straight into filing divorce petition.
So here is what I think most likely has happened. The husband might have been of the controlling nature. The earlier incident of taking away her passport and documents confirms his nature. The wife must have threatened him that she will go back to India or something. Being a controlling person that he is, he might have taken her wife’s threat as an insult. I think her brother came to California so that he could offer her some kind of protection against her husband. Naturally the husband did not feel good about someone else meddling in his internal affairs.His final act of murders was completely pre-meditated. He bought the guns before his brother-in-law arrived. It is simply amazing how someone could get so maniacal and so controlling that he would kill his own innocent children. The children look so beautiful. That really hurts. I have seen this with so many Indian fathers. Always serious, always lacking sense of humor. Look at the pictures. How serious he is. Can’t even show a smile. I have been following this story closely and I needed a closure because of the hurt this story has caused me.
So here is what I think most likely has happened. The husband might have been of the controlling nature. The earlier incident of taking away her passport and documents confirms his nature. The wife must have threatened him that she will go back to India or something. Being a controlling person that he is, he might have taken her wife’s threat as an insult. I think her brother came to California so that he could offer her some kind of protection against her husband. Naturally the husband did not feel good about someone else meddling in his internal affairs.His final act of murders was completely pre-meditated. He bought the guns before his brother-in-law arrived. It is simply amazing how someone could get so maniacal and so controlling that he would kill his own innocent children. The children look so beautiful. That really hurts. I have seen this with so many Indian fathers. Always serious, always lacking sense of humor. Look at the pictures. How serious he is. Can’t even show a smile. I have been following this story closely and I needed a closure because of the hurt this story has caused me.