Murder/suicide in FL

[Sunshine]

Independent of the end result, I stand by my "what a prick, and I hope it was worth it." You don't shove mentally ill people off the ledge. Asshole.

"In fact, he has refused to pay for toilet paper, buys food and supplies for himself and keeps them where the wife and children cannot access them.”

There is likely a girlfriend who has bigger jewelry.

 

[BDBoop]

A little extra information.

Richard Berman said he and a family member received an email from his ex-wife that raised safety concerns.
On the 911 call he said, “My ex-wife said she was going to harm the kids and that I should get over there ASAP.”
Police say the threatening email was sent just one hour before he dialed 911.
“She sent me an email that she did the best thing for our family and then she sent her cousin a text that she was going to kill the kids and herself,” Berman said to the 911 dispatcher.
The dispatcher then asked if the woman had any weapons. “I remember she had her dad's old rifles,” Berman responded.
Detectives say they are trying to determine exactly what happened after the email was sent and before the frantic 911 call.

“What we have to be cautious of is not to rush to judgment as to how they died. And that is why we wait for the medical examiner,” said West Palm Beach Police spokesman David Lefont.

Read more: Berman murder-suicide update: Police release 911 call

 

[bodecea]

Usually family annihilators are male, I'm not sure I have ever read about one that is female.

On a sadder note, the animosity created by pettiness when it comes to divorce can only lead to tragedy. Usually not as horrific as this, but still bad.

We've had a few....Susan Smith who drowned her children and tried to blame it on blacks.

A woman here who killed her four sons because her current boyfriend didn't want to be with someone with kids. She's on death row now.

Notice the key thing about those two women is they survived the incidents. Family annihilators want to kill themselves, but also don't think thier children/spouses can survive without them, so they take them out with themselves.

I know the one here in San Diego shot herself too...just didn't do a very good job of it. Looked it up...Susan Eubanks is her name.

 

[BDBoop]

Usually family annihilators are male, I'm not sure I have ever read about one that is female.

On a sadder note, the animosity created by pettiness when it comes to divorce can only lead to tragedy. Usually not as horrific as this, but still bad.

We've had a few....Susan Smith who drowned her children and tried to blame it on blacks.

A woman here who killed her four sons because her current boyfriend didn't want to be with someone with kids. She's on death row now.

Notice the key thing about those two women is they survived the incidents. Family annihilators want to kill themselves, but also don't think thier children/spouses can survive without them, so they take them out with themselves.

Right. But these were amazing kids, in their mid-teens. It's not like they were little.

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

 

[Truthmatters]

he does sound like a sociopathic scum

 

[martybegan]

We've had a few....Susan Smith who drowned her children and tried to blame it on blacks.

A woman here who killed her four sons because her current boyfriend didn't want to be with someone with kids. She's on death row now.

Notice the key thing about those two women is they survived the incidents. Family annihilators want to kill themselves, but also don't think thier children/spouses can survive without them, so they take them out with themselves.

Right. But these were amazing kids, in their mid-teens. It's not like they were little.

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

I hate to channel yoda in this convo, but "size matters not"

It doesnt matter if the kids can or cannot live on after the anihhilator is gone, the problem is in the Family Anihillator's own head. Its a combination of suicidal thoughts and pathological narcisisim. To them their kids are nothing without them there, so if they (the FA) has to go, they all have to go.

 

[Vox]

We've had a few....Susan Smith who drowned her children and tried to blame it on blacks.

A woman here who killed her four sons because her current boyfriend didn't want to be with someone with kids. She's on death row now.

Notice the key thing about those two women is they survived the incidents. Family annihilators want to kill themselves, but also don't think thier children/spouses can survive without them, so they take them out with themselves.

Right. But these were amazing kids, in their mid-teens. It's not like they were little.

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

and the ***** which was a selfish prick murdered them.

what a POS that ***** was.

 

[Vox]

Notice the key thing about those two women is they survived the incidents. Family annihilators want to kill themselves, but also don't think thier children/spouses can survive without them, so they take them out with themselves.

Right. But these were amazing kids, in their mid-teens. It's not like they were little.

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

I hate to channel yoda in this convo, but "size matters not"

It doesnt matter if the kids can or cannot live on after the anihhilator is gone, the problem is in the Family Anihillator's own head. Its a combination of suicidal thoughts and pathological nacisisim. To them their kids are nothing without them there, so if they (the FA) has to go, they all have to go.

BINGO.
***** was thinking only about herself.

 

[OODA_Loop]

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

You need to call LE and let them know what you have discovered.

 

[emilynghiem]

I'm sorry. Reading about the two kids being accomplished musicians in school is what really brought tears to my eyes. It is a shocking, sad and humble reminder that these tragedies can happen to the best of families and kids.

My heart just sank for both parents, and it seems the mother did lapse into some severe depression or psychosis with this divorce in December after she lost her MOTHER in November.

When I lost my dad to a coma in college, I went into a suppressed grief state that I didn't know was denial or possibly psychosis and did things that I would not normally have done.

Only years later did I read about a novelist who plagiarized during a psychotic state of grief after her father died. And read about Andrea Yates, another highly intelligent well-educated woman who did things while she was out of her mind that were outside her character.

I can only guess this poor woman went through the same to have done this. Unless the father or someone else did the killing, but it sounds like the neighbor noticed something was wrong with the mother prior to this incident. So sad, I feel heartbroken.

I cannot imagine what the dad, what the teachers and students are going through.
They are likely from a community that never thought this could happen to them.

My prayers to the family and all who are going through shock and grief and suffering.
So sad. It reminds me of my family and how we didn't think bad things would happen to us, divorce and mental illness, and all kinds of mess that only happen to "other people."

I wish I could have been there for that mother, to get her help and let her know it would be okay. I feel so bad for them that it is too late now, and this could have been prevented.

 

[BDBoop]

I'm sorry. Reading about the two kids being accomplished musicians in school is what really brought tears to my eyes. It is a shocking, sad and humble reminder that these tragedies can happen to the best of families and kids.

My heart just sank for both parents, and it seems the mother did lapse into some severe depression or psychosis with this divorce in December after she lost her MOTHER in November.

When I lost my dad to a coma in college, I went into a suppressed grief state that I didn't know was denial or possibly psychosis and did things that I would not normally have done.

Only years later did I read about a novelist who plagiarized during a psychotic state of grief after her father died. And read about Andrea Yates, another highly intelligent well-educated woman who did things while she was out of her mind that were outside her character.

I can only guess this poor woman went through the same to have done this. Unless the father or someone else did the killing, but it sounds like the neighbor noticed something was wrong with the mother prior to this incident. So sad, I feel heartbroken.

I cannot imagine what the dad, what the teachers and students are going through.
They are likely from a community that never thought this could happen to them.

My prayers to the family and all who are going through shock and grief and suffering.
So sad. It reminds me of my family and how we didn't think bad things would happen to us, divorce and mental illness, and all kinds of mess that only happen to "other people."

I wish I could have been there for that mother, to get her help and let her know it would be okay. I feel so bad for them that it is too late now, and this could have been prevented.

Thank you for a beautiful, well thought-out and written post.

I don't often think along such lines - but it has to be just heartbreaking to lose a generation. The dad, as horrible as he was in this situation, lost the next generation of his family. That would feel like a hole in the universe to me.

 

[emilynghiem]

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

You need to call LE and let them know what you have discovered.

Even if he did not do the shooting, I just read the part where the article cited in quotes from another source that the father would refuse to provide for his wife and kids, but only buy supplies like food and toilet paper for himself and keep these where the wife and kids could not access them.

so there was some other longterm abuse going on between the parents; it is possible that neither of them was managing the conflict normally, and I would also fault the lawyers if they exploited this "in any way" instead of insisting on free mediation for the sake of the kids.

Especially when one or both parties in a dispute has some kind of social or persoality disorder, it is better to go with "free mediation and counseling" to remove as much pressure and conditions OFF the conflict to prevent from setting either side off emotionally or deadlocking if they are unable to process the conflict. this wasn't healthy for either parent to go through legal battling if they weren't emotionally or socially stable enough to handle it. and unfortunately the kids died for it. this makes me feel very sick inside. if the divorce dragged out since 2008, surely the lawyers knew the couple had these issues?

I would really urge the legal community to step up to the plate, and urge families to get free help in cases like this. not drag it out for years, costing time money and sanity.
mental health doctors and lawyers should be more wary to catch cases like this. so sad.

makes me want to promote campaigns for mediation not litigation and save relations and families and mental health that ARE NOT WORTH the money wasted fighting legal battles that don't solve problems

so sad for the kids, I remember the shock when my parents were getting divorced and grieving why I didn't have my dad when other students had their dads. so horrible for teenagers to go through that.
I hope their classmates set up some memorial fund or project, anything to combat this problem and I would gladly support that. sounded like both parents needed help, and the kids suffered and lost for it.

 

[oldfart]

I hope it was worth it. What a prick.

Florida mom kills her two teens, self in murder-suicide month after divorce: cops* - NY Daily News

Florida churns them out by the dozen. Last week a 71 year-old retired police captain blew away a guy and wounded his wife for texting in a movie theatre. He claims he feared for his life because the guy threw a box of popcorn at him. Apparently in Florida skittles and popcorn are now deadly weapons.

We aren't all be blessed with the ability to read minds so as to know another persons true intentions when threatened.

I have a hard time with a police captain who helped establish a major city's SWAT team and was armed with a handgun did not have the skill set to differentiate a man with his wife holding a box of popcorn from a stone cold killer.

But of course you are waiting to see what excuse for killing people in cold blood this former officer will come up with to justify murder. Shoot first, find a reason later right? And of course should someone shoot your spouse dead at point blank range leaving you and two bystanders covered in blood for throwing popcorn, you would be equally forgiving in your attitude. Where did you park your brain again?

 

[Vox]

I paid attention to what everybody was saying, and am now wondering if it's possible the dad did it. A text to her cousin under duress, or that he sent himself, same goes for the email, and we have a triple homicide at his hands, not a murder suicide.

It's not so far-fetched.

Not probable, but possible.

You need to call LE and let them know what you have discovered.

Even if he did not do the shooting, I just read the part where the article cited in quotes from another source that the father would refuse to provide for his wife and kids, but only buy supplies like food and toilet paper for himself and keep these where the wife and kids could not access them.

so there was some other longterm abuse going on between the parents; it is possible that neither of them was managing the conflict normally, and I would also fault the lawyers if they exploited this "in any way" instead of insisting on free mediation for the sake of the kids.

Especially when one or both parties in a dispute has some kind of social or persoality disorder, it is better to go with "free mediation and counseling" to remove as much pressure and conditions OFF the conflict to prevent from setting either side off emotionally or deadlocking if they are unable to process the conflict. this wasn't healthy for either parent to go through legal battling if they weren't emotionally or socially stable enough to handle it. and unfortunately the kids died for it. this makes me feel very sick inside. if the divorce dragged out since 2008, surely the lawyers knew the couple had these issues?

I would really urge the legal community to step up to the plate, and urge families to get free help in cases like this. not drag it out for years, costing time money and sanity.
mental health doctors and lawyers should be more wary to catch cases like this. so sad.

and you do not feel there is ton of unsaid information when you learn that they ALL lived in the same house?

after filing for divorce in 2008 and obviously having a constant WAR inside the house? more than 5 (sic!!!!!!) years

 

[laughinReaper]

I hope it was worth it. What a prick.

Florida mom kills her two teens, self in murder-suicide month after divorce: cops* - NY Daily News

Richard Berman originally filed for divorce in 2008 - 16 years after they first married, the Palm Beach Post reported. The family was living lush for years, but by early last year, Jennifer Berman was struggling to get by without her ex-husband any longer in her life. The mom-of-two could no longer pay her divorce attorney in April and was in such financial straits, she was forced to sell her late father's watch, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The family home had actually once belonged to Jennifer Berman's mother and had been in foreclosure since 2010.

"The husband has not paid the mortgage on the former marital home during the entire time of the dissolution of marriage proceeding," read documents filed in court in May by Jennifer Berman. "He has not contributed to the support of the wife or of the minor children. In fact, he has refused to pay for toilet paper, buys food and supplies for himself and keeps them where the wife and children cannot access them.”

Once a realtor, Jennifer Berman was forced to work 12-hour overnight shifts as a nurse to make any income to support her children.

Richard Berman is a successful realtor who sells multi-million dollar homes in South Florida

Sad. If he is truly responsible for his ex going off the deep end then he will have to live with that for the rest of his life. Poor kids deserved better.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Something is not right the guy does not appear to be a dead beat dad nor does the family look like they are lacking

Instagram

And here's what the OP left out

Richard Berman tells 911 that he was heading to the house after his "ex-wife said she was going to harm the kids."

"She sent me an email that she did the best thing for our family," Richard tells a police dispatcher as he called 911 en route to the home. "And then she sent her cousin a text that she was going to kill the kids and herself."


Read more: Florida mom kills her two teens, self in murder-suicide month after divorce: cops* - NY Daily News

That does not sound like a daad beat dad.

 

[BDBoop]

Florida churns them out by the dozen. Last week a 71 year-old retired police captain blew away a guy and wounded his wife for texting in a movie theatre. He claims he feared for his life because the guy threw a box of popcorn at him. Apparently in Florida skittles and popcorn are now deadly weapons.

We aren't all be blessed with the ability to read minds so as to know another persons true intentions when threatened.

I have a hard time with a police captain who helped establish a major city's SWAT team and was armed with a handgun did not have the skill set to differentiate a man with his wife holding a box of popcorn from a stone cold killer.

But of course you are waiting to see what excuse for killing people in cold blood this former officer will come up with to justify murder. Shoot first, find a reason later right? And of course should someone shoot your spouse dead at point blank range leaving you and two bystanders covered in blood for throwing popcorn, you would be equally forgiving in your attitude. Where did you park your brain again?

Given his age, might dementia have played a part in the incident?

 

[emilynghiem]

Florida churns them out by the dozen. Last week a 71 year-old retired police captain blew away a guy and wounded his wife for texting in a movie theatre. He claims he feared for his life because the guy threw a box of popcorn at him. Apparently in Florida skittles and popcorn are now deadly weapons.

We aren't all be blessed with the ability to read minds so as to know another persons true intentions when threatened.

I have a hard time with a police captain who helped establish a major city's SWAT team and was armed with a handgun did not have the skill set to differentiate a man with his wife holding a box of popcorn from a stone cold killer.

But of course you are waiting to see what excuse for killing people in cold blood this former officer will come up with to justify murder. Shoot first, find a reason later right? And of course should someone shoot your spouse dead at point blank range leaving you and two bystanders covered in blood for throwing popcorn, you would be equally forgiving in your attitude. Where did you park your brain again?

1. one common factor I see in both the theatre shooting by a veteran and the Zimmerman/Martin case is these both involved male-on-male confrontation and violence.
(and it is debated if the Skittles and Tea was "not so innocent" but if Martin was out buying Skittles and Arizona Watermelon Drink to mix with cough syrup to get a buzz off "lean" or "drank" -- used to imply he had as negative or rebellious an attitude as Zimmerman was accused of going into the confrontation where they both set each other off)

Whatever made the shooters feel threatened, it was likely the ATTITUDE of these men towards each other or the perception of being "threatened as a male by another male"

2. as for being forgiving and being able to remain openminded as to what motivations or intent was going through the minds of the people involved; the more forgiving we are, of course, the more we can detach from emotions and be that openminded.

However, forgiving emotionally in trying to understand what caused someone to snap does NOT mean tolerating the wrong of murder or excusing/justifying it in any way.
It is still wrong, regardless of the reason the incident happened. That wrong doesn't change just because we add anger or subtract emotion on the part of the perceiver.

Trying to keep emotions from limiting one's judgment does not mean coddling criminals or diminishing the severity of the crime and consequences.
Forgiveness is to heal the emotions, it does not change the severity of the injustice; however forgiveness can help clear the mind so we can better understand all factors that led to the tragedy.

I believe we could more effectively hold people to account if we did let go emotionally and work through the entire situation more logically as to what went wrong, how to prevent it in the future, and what restitution is needed to restore a sense of equity and recognition of justice. I believe justice is better sought and established without punitive anger attached.

 

[emilynghiem]

We aren't all be blessed with the ability to read minds so as to know another persons true intentions when threatened.

I have a hard time with a police captain who helped establish a major city's SWAT team and was armed with a handgun did not have the skill set to differentiate a man with his wife holding a box of popcorn from a stone cold killer.

But of course you are waiting to see what excuse for killing people in cold blood this former officer will come up with to justify murder. Shoot first, find a reason later right? And of course should someone shoot your spouse dead at point blank range leaving you and two bystanders covered in blood for throwing popcorn, you would be equally forgiving in your attitude. Where did you park your brain again?

Given his age, might dementia have played a part in the incident?

Who knows if he had a personality change with older age, or if he was always like that the whole time he served previously and could have been set off at any time. who knows.

With some cases, like Ft. Hood, it seems the peers and professional staff could have screened out dangerous threats well in advance and prevented the shootings.

With this guy, what if it was a onetime incident and not caused by a condition that could have been caught and screened in advance?

With the Florida case of the two parents, it seems either the lawyers or the financial officers with the mortgage or professional friends of one or both parents had to know they had these problems, and insist on mediation for the kids, not fighting with lawyers.

We can't catch all the hidden troubles before they surface.
Some you can't see coming, just like some deadly cancers have no signs to warn you.

But with these obvious cases, clearly more could be done to resolve conflicts and nip it in the bud, for the sake of saving relationships and mental health, and not risk it escalating.

This story was the hardest thing for me to read. Thank you for posting it. I hope it leads to earlier intervention and changes in how families are counseled through conflicts.

Counseling people to fight legally until they go broke is neither healthy nor sustainable.
Does it have to become deadly before people realize nobody can really afford the stress?