Bryan Richardson: Texas dad who stabbed his two kids and wife to death was found lying in bed with the bodies
COPPERAS COVE, TEXAS: Bryan Richardson, 27, has been charged with three counts of murder after having been found by Texas police in bed with the slain bodies of his wife and two children, covered in blood. He was immediately arrested by the police, and his bonds amount to $2.7 million.
Police were called to the scene for a welfare check by Bryan Richardson's brother-in-law, who hadn't heard from his sister, Kiera Michelle Ware, Bryan's wife. Police made the check at 9:30 pm on Saturday at 1301 Fairbanks St, Copperas Cove, Texas. Kiera Ware's brother accompanied them. According to a complaint released on December 14, the officers followed Kiera's brother to the home's backyard, where he shone a cell phone flashlight through the window, revealing a pool of dark liquid on the floor.
An officer then entered the home through an open window, and opened the back door. Inside the home, the officers found "a large amount of blood on the kitchen and living room floors", according to KWTX, in addition to the body of a small dog lying in a pool of blood inside the kitchen. After discovering a “large pool of blood on the floor just outside the door" of a locked corner room in the home, officers forced their way into the room to find Richardson lying on the bed with the bodies of his wife and two children. Richardson was covered in blood, according to the complaint.
Richardson was found on top of his wife, Kiera Ware, and the bodies of their two children were laying beside them. The couple's son, identified in the complaint as "BR", was wrapped in a blanket, lying next to his mother, while his sister - identified as "CR" - lay next to him, underneath a comforter. Richardson himself was also found with three lacerations on his left arm, which he claims were self-inflicted.
When the police questioned him as to what had happened to his family, Richardson claimed not to know. Officers also asked him whether he was worried about losing his job, his spouse, or the custody of his children, to which he replied, "I already lost all of those." According to Richardson's social media, he and Kiera Ware were married in 2015.
Police also found a blood-covered kitchen knife on a table. an empty six-pack of beer and an empty bottle of the prescription antidepressant Trazodone. The older of the two children, whose names remained left out of the complaint, was a Pre-K student at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy. Rhonda Burnell, the Copperas Cove ISD Director of Behavioral Support, said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken with this tragedy, especially at this time of the year. We are providing additional counseling services and resources to both students and staff to assist them in dealing with this loss. We will continue to assess the needs of the students and provide developmentally appropriate support and services. Parents may contact the school if they would like their children to receive counseling services."