Officer shoots wife, turns gun on himself

http://www.miami.com/images/common/spacer.gifFrom Sunday's Miami Herald--the bold italics are mine...

A corrections officer fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself in the couple's Country Walk home early Saturday, Miami-Dade police said. The bodies of corrections Officer Jose Maseda and his wife, Sandra, were found by their 19-year-old daughter in the master bedroom. Family members told police the couple had been having marital problems for ''quite some time,'' according to a police report. People who live in the neighborhood, many of whom also work in law enforcement, were stunned by the events. ''We live in a quiet neighborhood and we have never had trouble in the 10 years I've lived here,'' said Zoraida Ramos, 41. ``We are surprised to hear about a tragedy of this magnitude.'' Neighbors gathered on their lawns Saturday as authorities investigated. A Miami-Dade police report said the couple died from ''apparent gunshot wounds.'' It added: ''Investigators believe it was a homicide/suicide.'' Sandra Maseda was listed as the victim in the shootings. Neighbors said she had temporarily separated from her husband months ago, but the couple had recently been spending time together again. Neighbors said Jose Maseda was a federal corrections officer, but did not say where. They said several federal vehicles were parked outside the house after the shootings.

Just goes to show once again that the decision to stop psycological testing of CO's was probably not a good one. If he treated his own family this way, imagine what he must have been doing to inmates.
(dont know if the psych testing holds true for all states, but they dont do it anymore in Indiana)

These stories are so sadly common. We create brutal, sad institutions and then act surprised when people act like sad brutes.

During the past year, a CO at Sheridan FCI shot himself in his truck at the end of the prison driveway. There was no media coverage of it that I ever saw. Right afterward, a lot of flowers were placed there but, within half a day, they were gone. Guess they don't want anyone to know that CO's have problems at times, just like the rest of the community. There was a study done once, in Crescent City, where Pelican Bay supermax (California State Prison) is located, comparing child abuse rates before and after the prison was built. The study (which I wish I could locate) showed that child abuse rates went up quite a bit after the prison opened and they found that the increase involved primarily. not the children of inmate families. but the children of CO's. I would think it would be difficult to figure out whether these men acted abusively before they chose to become CO's or whether the stress of the job triggers it. Probably each in different cases. What is likely true is that the prison employee culture does not encourage disclosing such problems and seeking help. Zelda

Im Not Trying To Stand Up For The Correctional System , But Any Occupation With High Stress Situations Has Occurances Such As These , In Fact I Think Every Line Of Employment Does. Murder / Suicide By Spouses Are So Common Anymore , I Dont Think A Week Goes By With Hearing Of One In The State Of California . I Also Wasnt Suprised To Be Told By A Domestic Violence Agency Worker That Police Officers Are One Of The Highest Offenders Of Domestic Violence , Sad Thing Is Under Cali Law , If A Woman Stays With A Man That Beats Her , Shes Charged With Emotional Abuse Of Her Children