A man shot dead his wife and one-year-old daughter in Oklahoma before taking his own life in a murder-suicide just nine months after the woman won $2 million in a lottery.
The woman was identified as Tiffany Hill, 31, and was from California. She won more than $2 million in a lottery last year. According to police, the husband, 42-year-old John Donato, fired at Hill and their daughter, Leanne, on July 30. After the killings, he shot and killed himself. They were all found with gunshot wounds to the head in their home in Calera, Oklahoma, on the same day.
According to New York Post, the girl was still alive when authorities arrived, but she died after she was airlifted to a Texas hospital. The husband and wife were pronounced dead at the scene.
Donato and Hill reportedly got married a little after she won the lottery in Valley Springs, California, in November last year, according to the deceased woman’s family. Then the family moved to Oklahoma. However, relatives claimed that Hill was in the process of trying to get away from Donato as he was abusive.
A former attorney for the family of Hill shared that they believe the lotto winnings were also a factor for their arguments. The former attorney shared: “Could that have sparked the argument? We’ll never have any way of knowing. But I do know there were times it caused conflict between them. Statistically, that is the most dangerous time for anyone involved in domestic violence is around that time of separation.”
Family members have already set up a GoFundMe account to raise funds for the funeral of Hill and her daughter.
The couple has three more children, who were home at the time of the murders, but were unharmed. Money left by the couple will be placed in a trust fund for the children, reports said.
