BROKEN ARROW — For a community that has historically had low violent crime rates, it’s a puzzling and worrying trend.
Eighteen Broken Arrow residents have died in murder-suicides in the past 21 months, with the most recent being a triple murder-suicide on July 19th.
Police say that in that incident, suspect Jacob Haas, 26, shot and killed his 21-year-old brother, grandfather and aunt at a home on West Toledo Place. Haas was also found dead at the scene and a preliminary autopsy determined it was a suicide by gunshot wound.
While the investigation into possible cause is ongoing, this case is similar to past cases in that it is a family homicide (the murder of one or more members of one’s own family) and the family had no history of domestic violence as reported by police.
Olivia Russell, a victim advocate with the Broken Arrow Police Department, said there are no easy answers behind this increase in murder-suicides, but she and her colleagues are taking the issue seriously.
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“The police department’s job is to make sure our residents are safe,” Russell said. “The escalation of violence, especially violence that escalates to murder, is very concerning because it means our residents are not safe.”
There are no easy explanations or solutions, but Russell said while there was no record of domestic violence in the recent case, more education about domestic violence is essential.
“It is important to learn more about domestic violence, not just in intimate relationships but in the family setting,” she said. “There is no place for any kind of violence in any home.”
“The more educated people are, the more likely they are to be able to use these tools to seek help, get to a safe place or get the assistance they need.”
Investigators are investigating a burned-out home in the 400 block of South Hickory Avenue in Broken Arrow where eight people were killed on Oct. 28, 2022, in a suspected murder-suicide involving two adults and six children.
Mike Simmons, Tulsa World Archive
Six children murdered
The Broken Arrow serial murder-suicide case dates back to at least October 2022, when eight members of one family were killed, including six children.
Brian and Brittney Nelson were considered the prime suspects in the case after their husband and wife were found dead along with their children, who ranged in age from 13 to 1 year old.
In January 2023, another Broken Arrow couple died in what was ruled a murder-suicide: Kenneth Carpenter killed his wife, Diane Carpenter, then committed suicide.
The murders of Annette Hammock and her 17-year-old son in May 2023 were part of an attempted murder-suicide. Hammock’s husband, Phillip Hammock, who was later charged with murder, was found at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He survived but was recently deemed incompetent to stand trial due to a traumatic brain injury.
Then in February of this year, two boys, brother and sister, were found dead in their home in what police concluded was a murder-suicide.
In 2019, people gathered at Reflection Park, a park dedicated to the victims and emergency responders who responded to the Beaver family murders in Broken Arrow. The family home was demolished to make way for the park.
Stephen Pingree, Tulsa World Archive
The 2015 Beaver family murders in Broken Arrow, while not a murder-suicide, were at least comparable to this as a mass domestic homicide of a family.
In that case, teenage brothers Robert and Michael Beaver were charged and convicted of stabbing to death five members of their family, including their parents and three younger siblings.
“The Crime of Confidentiality”
Rose Turner, chief administrative officer for Domestic Violence Intervention Services, said the recent string of murder-suicides in Broken Arrow is “depressing.”
“Violence and loss of life is always tragic and shocking, whether there is one victim or multiple victims,” she said.
“I live in Broken Arrow too, so yeah, I was like, ‘What’s going on?’
For Turner and others at DVIS, the situation served as a sad reminder of how badly the state and region continues to fare when it comes to domestic violence.
Turner said Oklahoma ranks second in the nation for domestic violence rates, while Tulsa County ranks among the highest in the state.
“Domestic violence is really a secretive crime because those involved want to keep it secret because there’s a lot of shame and guilt associated with it,” said Turner, a licensed clinical social worker who has worked with victims of child abuse and domestic violence for the past 38 years.
“The best thing someone in that situation can do is ask for help, which is probably also one of the hardest things to do,” she added.
The position, which Russell started in April, marks the first time the Broken Arrow Police Department has hired a victim advocate as a full-time officer.
The department has used victim advocates in the past, but it was a grant-funded partnership with agencies such as the Department of Family and Children’s Services and DVIS.
In her job, Russell speaks to many victims of domestic violence.
She said too often victims don’t report domestic violence or seek help for fear it could damage their relationships with intimate partners or family members.
Russell said it’s important for people to be aware of the signs that violence could quickly escalate into murder.
Are you noticing increasingly erratic or irritable behavior in your life or at home? Are you starting to become isolated?
Also important to know is whether they have access to guns and if they have a history of substance abuse, mental health issues or domestic violence, whether reported or not.
“These are things you need to consider when thinking about your safety because they could be signs of a deadly relationship,” Russell said.
“We encourage people to reach out with any questions and be connected to services and resources. Safety is our number one priority and we have safety precautions in place every time we engage with individuals,” Turner said.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can use the DVIS 24-hour hotline at 918-743-5763. A text line is available at 207-777 from 8pm to 1am. Text “SAFE” to the number during those hours to be connected to a DVIS advocate.
Additionally, Oklahoma’s 988 Mental Health Lifeline allows users to call or text 988 to immediately connect with a trained mental health professional.
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