A Pennsylvania man killed his wife on Tuesday before shooting himself – leaving their five children orphaned just five days before Christmas.
Blase, 39, and Brooke Raia, 34, were arguing around 7 p.m. in the basement of their Greenwood home when Blase allegedly fired a gun at his wife, Logan Township Police Chief Dave Hoover told the Altoona Mirror.
He shot him in the head, the fate of the police said he would shortly after inflicted on himself.
The four younger children were home at the time of the apparent murder-suicide.
The eldest son came home from work just half an hour after the tragedy to find his parents’ bodies, according to Hoover.
The children — daughter Blakely and Blase Jr.’s sons Brennan, Kamden and Easton, according to Blase’s obituary — were interviewed and released into the custody of other family members.
Investigators have yet to find a motive for the murder-suicide. WWCP Facebook/Fox 8 TV
Kamden and Easton are Brooke’s children from a previous relationship, according to her obituary.
Police have yet to determine a motive and are trying to rule out the possibility that others may have been involved.
The news shocked the community, which remembers Blase Raia as a friendly man who worked as a machinist at Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shop.
“He was a good person, a good worker,” Jim Patterson, a retired worker, told the outlet. “He seems well-liked by his colleagues.”
Blase reportedly shot his wife in the head before turning the gun on himself. Sorge Funeral Home
Candy Holliday, a family friend and neighbor of Blase who is raising funds for his funeral, said he “loved his children more than anything in the world.”
Brooke Raia works at a local chiropractic office, according to Hoover. His obituary said he also worked at an Amazon warehouse in Altoona.
The couple, who married in 2022, according to Blase’s obituary, were involved in racing — Brooke Raia’s father was a famous motorcycle racer and an announcer at regional speedways while Blase raced dragsters as a hobby.
The racing community has since rallied around the orphan, raising more than $56,000 for the child.
“While I’m sure Christmas is the last thing on their minds, they deserve our support, they need to know that both the racing community & their families are behind them,” said fundraiser Donny Algieri.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
