Police found two suicide notes found in the upscale L.A. home where 45-year old Karthik Rajaram shot and killed his wife, three children and mother-in-law before killing himself on October 6. The two notes, one addressed to the police and the other for his family and friends, referred to Rajaram's financial problems and his decision to kill himself and his family. Their eldest son, Krishna, had been a Fulbright scholar at UCLA and had been visiting his family when the killings occurred.
Rajaram had an MBA from UCLA and formerly worked for Price Waterhouse and Sony Pictures among other businesses but had apparently been unemployed for several months. He and his family had been extremely well-off at one time with several million dollars in assets before financial reversals and his own erratic behaviour caused him to become despondent over his inability to maintain his family's affluent lifestyle.
Residents in the neighbourhood and representatives of the extended Indian community to which the Rajaram family had belonged expressed shock and grief at the deaths. While police have indicated that the killings were apparently premeditated, Rajaram's motives remain unclear. There is no evidence that he ever sought mental health counseling regarding his emotional issues.
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