Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 LA man upset over job kills wife, 5 kids, himself By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 45 mins ago Los Angeles LOS ANGELES – A man who fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself Tuesday had earlier faxed a note to a TV station claiming the couple had just been fired from their hospital jobs and together planned the killings as a final escape for the whole family. "Why leave the children to a stranger?" Ervin Lupoe wrote, according to KABC-TV. The station called police after receiving the fax, and a police dispatch center also received a call from a man who stated, "'I just returned home and my whole family's been shot." Officers rushed to the home in Wilmington, a small community between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, about 8:30 a.m., apparently within minutes of the killings. Officers could still smell the gunshot residue in the air. Although the fax asserted that Ana Lupoe planning the killings of the whole family, police Lt. John Romero said Lupoe was the suspect. A revolver was found next to his body. Ana Lupoe's body was found in a downstairs bedroom with the bodies of the couple's twin 2-year-old boys. The bodies of an 8-year-old girl, twin 5-year-old girls were found alongside Lupoe's in an upstairs bedroom. It was the fifth mass death of a Southern California family by murder or suicide in a year. Police urged those facing tough Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rudywoofs (Pam) Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 tragic. Tragic that they felt the need to do that. Tragic that they felt there was no one, no place to turn to. God have mercy. Quote Pam Meddle Not In the Affairs of Dragons; for You Are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup. If we all sang the same note in the choir, there'd never be any harmony. Funny, isn't it, how we accept Grace for ourselves and demand justice for others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Why do you think this is becoming more and more common? What are we missing in our society that apparently makes it easy for some people to kill their entire families and themselves rather than lose their houses and other material possessions? Is life not worth living if we can't have our big houses and "nice things"? Can't we be happy just being together as a family, no matter what material things we have? During the Depression, families would be happy together living in a tent in the dry river beds. They would sometimes be so poor they had literally to count their beans. But they lived to take care of one another because their love for each other was stronger than death. They felt, "At least we have each other and know that God is watching out for us." Remember the Joads of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath? Or maybe the characters in books like Their Eyes Were Watching God? So, what's changed, and why? Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Really is, I agree. Makes me wonder if they maybe had no kind of support anywhere. Maybe no family. Yet, still, why would a man do it? I'm wondering. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kountzer Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 These types of crimes were happening well before the recession officially got its name. Maybe not at this magnitude, but happening just the same. Very tragic. DB Quote I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. Frederick Douglass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Yes, but I'm talking about American life in the 1930s and early 40s. There's a difference. In those days if people lost everything they would struggle together to meet the disasters and the problems they faced. They didn't think of killing the entire family because of losing lands or houses. They thought of life and their kids as being more important than having a nice car or a big house, etc. What I'm asking is if we as a society don't have something that we used to have in the way of "fighting spirit" when things get tough. It seems to me that this is the case, but I would like to know what others think about it. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kountzer Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 There's a lot more involved besides econimcs, although the current state of things is definitely a factor. Life back in the 30s and 40s was a lot simpler. There were no Tvs, internet, all sorts of gadgets. People were a lot more agrarian then. My grandparets, raised my Mom and aunts and uncles during the depression on about 8 acres of land, more or less. They farmed, raised pigs, (hadn't heard of sda then) chickens, etc. They owned their home. It was a lot easier to cope then. This guy that did this lived in LA. Rent and the cost of living is high there. Then you hav to deal with urban gangs, LA and elsewhere hustle and bustle. If you get put out in the streets in a major city these days you got a problem on you hand. All this is prophetic. DB Quote I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. Frederick Douglass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Good points. Life in LA is certainly different from life on a ranch. It's much more impersonal for one thing. City life makes you think differently about people and life in general and have much different values. I wonder why the mother and father evidently didn't think they could get work. They were trained as medical technologists and it just seems like they should have been able to find a hospital or medical clinic in the Los Angeles area where they could work. There was no doubt a lot going on in that family that we don't know about. I wonder if they went to church or had strong Christian beliefs. I would guess not but you never know these days. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil D Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 In the medical field and couldn't get work..... OSHU is currently going to lay off a lot of medical employees. We are talkin' in the hundreds..... The hospital where I used to work at, is going to lay off 30 employees....This is from a group of about 150 employees.... A hospital south of here is going to lay off 5 employees...from about 50 people.... Hospital work is not a good source of work...They are tightening up thier work forcce and not opening up employment. Don't know about the rest of the country.....but that is part of the state of oregon. Quote Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks for that info. It may be the explanation-- they thought they wouldn't be able to get work that gave them the income they were accustomed to. Like so many other kinds of jobs these days, it's no longer something you can count on. This really makes you think, though, when you hear about people getting laid off or fired. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kountzer Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 If you're a medical technologist you should be able to get a job - somewhere, or sometime soon. Even if you go on unemployment, if you have resumes and applications out there, sooner than later someone is going to call. Lots of mental illness in this world. Kountzer Quote I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. Frederick Douglass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fccool Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Actually, the potential for nervous breakdown is fairly strong in any person. I think it was an extreme pile up of things, and then loss of job could have been the last straw. People with no emotional support go mad. The guy had like 5 kids... which does add to the stress, so perhaps he blamed them for making his life difficult. I don't know, I can only guess... I'm guessing you will see more and more of this on larger scale as things progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fccool Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 On top of that, the guy is faxing the note that ends with a Masonic distress coded call? http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/BREAKING-NEWS-Bodies-Found-in-Wilmington-Home.html "Is there no hope for the widow's son?" http://www.mormonismi.net/temppeli/durhamin_puhe1974.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Gail Posted January 28, 2009 Administrators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Wow- how tragic! John317 has raised some good questions. My family was raised reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, about how simple and precarious life was in early Americana. Perhaps living off the land, shooting for some food like Jed Clampett just isn't an option any more. I'm just doing a quick Revelation study right now and THAT made me wonder how people will survive who are not sheltered in the care of God's angels. Quote Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Is there no hope for the widow's son?" http://www.mormonismi.net/temppeli/durhamin_puhe1974.shtml It seems strange that he would add this particular question at the end of his suicide note. For what reason-- was he Mormon or a Mason? Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Gail Posted January 28, 2009 Administrators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Yes, it was (apparently) the words of Joseph Smith when the building he was in was stormed and he was killed. I've always understood it to be a Mason distress call that he used. Perhaps this man was looking for someone to come and help, although he didn't wait for the help to come. I ran this story past my son who was indignant. To him, he could not understand why the couple couldn't take a different, even lower paying job to get by. He said, "Sell your car and walk to work. Move closer." etc etc. He was thinking of all sorts of possibilities and arrangements. I guess that after living in Africa he sees opportunities that we can't in our cushy Western society. Quote Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 I ran this story past my son who was indignant. To him, he could not understand why the couple couldn't take a different, even lower paying job to get by. He said, "Sell your car and walk to work. Move closer." etc etc. He was thinking of all sorts of possibilities and arrangements. I guess that after living in Africa he sees opportunities that we can't in our cushy Western society. Hey, your son is thinking exactly right, by my book. I think we're spoiled and selfish. I'm not saying selfishness was this man's problem because I don't know what other problems he had, but it does seem to me that we've gotten to the point where we think life isn't worth living if we can't have it "just so." I admire parents who are willing to struggle and fight and do anything to keep their children alive and well. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rudywoofs (Pam) Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Just try to get a lower paying job if you have a good resume. Nobody will even look at you. Quote Pam Meddle Not In the Affairs of Dragons; for You Are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup. If we all sang the same note in the choir, there'd never be any harmony. Funny, isn't it, how we accept Grace for ourselves and demand justice for others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 That's true. I know personally how that goes. The best thing is to not put down that you've been to college, but of course they can tell by your speech that you have education. But you're exactly right. This family had 5 kids to support. Couldn't be easy. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Gail Posted January 28, 2009 Administrators Share Posted January 28, 2009 Just try to get a lower paying job if you have a good resume. Nobody will even look at you. Yes, and I mentioned that unemployment in the States is high right now. But he is seeing things through the youthful eyes of hope. Life hasn't crushed and disheartened him (yet). Quote Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fccool Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've been through some tough times, and I'd tell that I'll take life any day of the week. I tend to agree that few people in US face what people in Russia for example have to deal with every day. I'm not even speaking about poorer countries, because I can't really imagine. Here're some pics, I think you'd especially enjoy these, John. http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=2217 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 29, 2009 Author Moderators Share Posted January 29, 2009 Here're some pics, I think you'd especially enjoy these, John. http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=2217 Lots of interesting, good pictures there! Quite a contrast between the recent pictures and those of the Soviet era. Seemed like the pictures from the Soviet periods-- 50s and 60s-- were more upbeat and the people appeared to have an almost palpable reason for living. Not sure if this is part of the editing or intention of the photographers, but it comes across rather strongly to me. Thanks for sharing. The harshness of the average Russian life is quite evident. I was also struck by the decline in the environment that has evidently occurred between the Soviet era and the present. And the elderly seem abandoned somehow and so sad and hopeless. Much suffering and poverty. Yet I also see a certain strength and nobility that shines through it all. You want to reach out and tell those poor people that Jesus understands and loves them. I'm partial toward b & w but there are some very good color pictures there too. I like the snap-shot, spontaneous, personal quality of many of the photographs. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Very good photos, very good detail. pk Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 *tacking on. Not a response to any one post. One problem that is overlooked is the strong "must provide" mentality that some men have. To lose a job can be very crushing; especially if you can't go out and find other work easily. But it sounded like this couple lost their jobs near the same time as the murder/suicides. Frankly it appears to me that something else was going on prior to this episode. Saying "why leave the children to someone else"? is a very selfish thought. Maybe the husband couldn't bear thinking of his wife and children being with someone else, so he took them all with him. Then there is the generation you grew up in that defines how you think now. We baby boomers, I think have better survival techniques than todays younger people. We grew up without all the toys and gizmos. Many of us didn't have TV for a long time or not at all. Phones usually were one to a house and attached to a wall. We walked alot and rode the bus because if you had a car it belonged to dad for work. How many today can go without their cell, ipod, car whatever, for very long? How many even know how to plant something to eat? Repair their own clothes? Figure out how to get somewhere without a parent taking them or driving themselve? It was a huge mistake for the generation that didn't have to give everything to their following generation just cause they could. They were not properly prepared for life to come. Quote <p><span style="color:#0000FF;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">"Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you."</span></span> Eph 4:29</span><br><br><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/gizmotimetemp_both/US/OR/Fairview.gif" alt="Fairview.gif"> Fairview Or</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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