Links
Iraq vet kills girlfriend, daughter, and himself
Police have not released a motive for the double-murder and apparent suicide Friday in Makiki, but court records show the alleged shooter was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder related to combat.
Friends said Kristine Cass, 46, was trying to end a relationship with Clayborne Conley, who allegedly shot her and her 13-year-old daughter, Saundra, before shooting himself.
Conley was a former Hawaii National Guardsman, discharged more than three years ago after serving in Iraq in 2005. Before his deployment, he had no psychiatric problems, but after returning appeared socially withdrawn and made false statements, court documents said.
After returning, he suffered from insomnia, combat nightmares, startle reactions, morbid ruminations, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse, court records said.
Fred Ballard, spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Hawaii, said PTSD can have a range of symptoms from insomnia to domestic abuse, but violent outbreaks are less common.