Utah Man Who Killed Wife, 5 Kids Left Suicide Note
. The Utah man who fatally shot his wife, her mother and their five kids wrote in a suicide note that he "would rather rot in hell" than continue being controlled by his wife, investigators said.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) - A Utah man, who shot and killed his wife, his mother, and five of their children, left a note that said he would rather rot in Hell than be controlled by his spouse, investigators reported in a Friday report.
This is absurd and I cannot handle it any longer. We won't be a burden to society. Michael Haight's 42-year-old suicide note was included in the report.
Haight wrote: 'I'd rather go to hell than put up with this kind of manipulation and control.
The suicide note is in stark contrast to other revelations in the 57 page report published by the city Enoch, where Haight was described by his children and community members as abusive and controlling in text messages.
This report is based on documents that were released after the tragedy. They described Haight's involvement in a child abuse case and detailed his Google searches related to violence leading up to the violence. The report paints Haight as an unstable husband who was concerned with maintaining a façade of perfection in the community where they lived. The majority of the residents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The suicide note, and the details of how the bedding was placed over the bodies, suggest that the violence was not an act of passion or impulsiveness.
Investigators interviewed people close to the Haights, whose names have been redacted from the report. They said Michael Haight lost his job with Allstate Insurance near Cedar City, Utah. According to them, Michael Haight, despite the wishes of his wife and her pursuit of divorce, continued to live in the family house with his wife, his five children, and his mother-in law, who was present out of concern for safety, up until the tragic event.
Report also reveals that Haight, his mother-in law, wife and five children, were discovered in the bedrooms of the family home, on the afternoon Jan. 4, after someone police described as a "family friend" entered through an opened door. The police had been called to the Haights' home earlier that afternoon, after reports of concerns for their welfare. They left before reporting the violence.
No one answered the front door. The Enoch Police officer who visited the family house before the bodies were found wrote that it didn't seem like anyone was there because no noise could be made.
Tausha, Gail Earl, and their four-year old child were discovered in the first-floor bedroom of the couple, lying on pillows and partially covered by blankets, surrounded with blood. All the other children were in their bedrooms, except the seven-year old who was on the ground and Haight.