SINKING SPRING , Pa. -- The killer in a murder-suicide that took the lives of a family of five in Berks County, Pennsylvania, has been identified as the father, District Attorney John Adams said Monday.
Mark Short, 40, killed his 33-year-old wife, Megan, and the couple's three children, 8-year-old Liana, 5-year-old Mark Jr., and 2-year-old Willow.
Willow was a heart transplant survivor whose story made national headlines.
Short apparently took the three kids to a theme park the day before he allegedly killed them in cold blood – the district attorney said they went to Hershey Park, according to KYW-TV.
Police found their bodies in their Sinking Springs home on August 6 dead from gunshot wounds, along with the family dog. Mark Short left a note admitting to buying a gun and killing his family, Adams said at a news conference. The note was likely written after Short killed his family.
Megan Short was terrified of her husband and planned to move out the next day, police told WPMT.
Megan Short's mother called Sinking Spring Police after her daughter missed a lunch date.
The couple had domestic and marital problems and were in the process of separating, Adams said. He said Mark was upset over the breakup of his marriage. The Morning Call reports that Megan Short had made plans for a "new life."
A few weeks before her death, Megan Short called 911 after an argument and said she was afraid of her husband, authorities said.
