Tragedy
This is utterly heartbreaking: Dad Kills Four Korean-Born Children
The article's title doesn't make clear that Steve Sueppel killed his wife first and finally himself as well. There's really nothing adoption-related here, apart from the question of whether or not a homestudy could have caught the potential for this man's actions. It's a pure and simple tragedy.
I simply cannot wrap my head around what must have gone on in that house. What must the thought of it do to a Korean mother who knows her child is in this country?
And I have to say, re this:
Just can't wrap my head around it.
3/30/08: Edited to add a link to coverage of the Sueppel funeral. Beyond sad. Yet I have to ask myself, how many tragedies, perhaps not of the same scale, but tragedies all the same, pass me by entirely? This one struck a chord because I saw my son and daughter in the faces of the Sueppel children. How many times does a similar story come onto the news and pass through my consciousness leaving hardly a blip on my radar screen, simply because I don't relate in the same way?
The article's title doesn't make clear that Steve Sueppel killed his wife first and finally himself as well. There's really nothing adoption-related here, apart from the question of whether or not a homestudy could have caught the potential for this man's actions. It's a pure and simple tragedy.
I simply cannot wrap my head around what must have gone on in that house. What must the thought of it do to a Korean mother who knows her child is in this country?
And I have to say, re this:
Sueppel mentioned in the note the embarrassment and other fallout from criminal charges he faced. A federal grand jury indicted him in February on charges that he stole nearly $560,000 between 2000 and 2007 from the bank.Something is really out of whack with our U.S. corporate culture when someone can embezzle over half a million dollars and not seem to lose too much sleep over it, but beat his entire family to death when caught.
Just can't wrap my head around it.
3/30/08: Edited to add a link to coverage of the Sueppel funeral. Beyond sad. Yet I have to ask myself, how many tragedies, perhaps not of the same scale, but tragedies all the same, pass me by entirely? This one struck a chord because I saw my son and daughter in the faces of the Sueppel children. How many times does a similar story come onto the news and pass through my consciousness leaving hardly a blip on my radar screen, simply because I don't relate in the same way?
Comments
Interestingly, the local print and television media did not mention the adoptions. Until I saw his picture I was guessing he was Korean because the headline only pictured the mother and children. Only when I looked under the fold did I see he was white and figured out they must have been adopted.
I noticed that adoption was not mentioned in several of the articles either, but was later. The first article I read was the one linked here from the Korea Times, so adoption was a focal point.
When M came in to say good-night last night, I was hugging her and wondering just how someone could harm their child. There was an article by a professor I read that said he believes people who commit mass slayings of their families like this suffer from depression, and the depression is accompanied by a "me first, me only" mentality that leads them to believe killing their families is the only way out. It makes some sense - but it's frightening to think selfishness could lead to this end.
So incredibly sad.
Because this story needed MORE tragedy? So sad on so many levels...