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Crime News Family Crimes

Man Who Allegedly Murdered Wife And Children Found Covered In Blood And Lying In Bed With Their Bodies, Police Say

Bryan Richardson has been charged with three counts of murder in Copperas Cove, Texas.

By Sharon Lynn Pruitt
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A Texas man was arrested over the weekend for murdering his wife and children after police found him lying in bed with their dead bodies.

Bryan Richardson, 27, was taken into custody on Saturday and he has since been charged with three counts of murder, the Copperas Cove Police Department said in a recent news release. Police were called out to a private residence in the Copperas Cove area that evening to perform a welfare check, and when they got inside the house, they found three people dead and a fourth, Richardson, alive, according to their statement.

The victims were Richardson’s wife, Kiera Michelle Ware, and the couple’s two children, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KWTX. Ware’s brother called the police to request a welfare check, and once police arrived at the premises, they found a disturbing scene: there was blood on the floors of the kitchen and living room in addition to a large pool of blood outside of a locked door. When they forced open the door, they allegedly found Richardson inside, covered in blood and lying in bed. His wife’s body was beneath him, and the bodies of his two children, wrapped in and covered by blankets, were next to him, the outlet reported, citing the complaint.

Kevin Miller Pd

When police asked Richardson what had happened, he said that he didn’t know, the complaint states. Richardson also had three cuts to his left arm that he allegedly told authorities were self-inflicted.

Along with the blood in the home, police found a bloody kitchen knife abandoned on a table, an empty bottle of prescription anti-depressants, and an empty six-pack of beer, according to KWTX. Police also found a dead dog lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

Police have not released a possible motive in the case. When officers later asked Richardson if he was afraid of losing his job or spouse or custody of his children — standard questioning during booking — he reportedly responded, “I already lost those." 

Richardson was arraigned on Dec. 13 and a judge set his bond at $2,250,000, police said. The Copperas Cove Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.com.

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