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SAN DIEGO (AP) — The deaths of a teenage girl and two women in a house in one of the nation's wealthiest communities were a murder-suicide, investigators confirmed Friday.
Michael Arya, who owned the home in Rancho Santa Fe, north of San Diego, died of cancer in April. This week, his sister fatally stabbed his daughter and his business associate before killing herself, authorities said.
San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Kenn Nelson identified the sister as Sayeh Amini, 52. He said she killed her 15-year-old niece, Hannah Arya, and the associate, 56-year-old Ihnwon Mia Shin. Amini then stabbed herself to death.
Deputies responding to reported child abuse found the bodies Monday.
Nelson declined to comment further, saying he wanted to first talk with the victims' families.
Attorney Carl Starrett told reporters that Amini was overwhelmed from handling her brother's estate and seemed to be having a kind of mental breakdown since his death. He said Amini's husband had tried unsuccessfully to get help for her, fearing she was suicidal.
"She had it in her head that friends of her brother were going to blame her for her brother's death, and perhaps people would come after her in lawsuits, to ruin her financially," Starett told the Union Tribune newspaper (http://bit.ly/296goI1).
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