81-year-old accused of killing wife, daughter with ax because they were about to become homeless
03/29/2023 11:57 am PDT
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (TCD) -- An 81-year-old man stands accused of killing his 70-year-old wife and 35-year-old daughter because his family was about to lose their apartment.
According to a news release from the Englewood Police Department, on March 25 shortly after 6 p.m., Reginald Maclaren reported that "his wife and adult daughter had been murdered."
Maclaren reportedly told police he possibly knew the suspect and that they "used a hammer."
Police responded to the report at an apartment on Englewood Parkway, where they made contact with Maclaren. Police said officers found "two victims inside large trash cans that were on the floor of the living room/kitchen area."
The two victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, investigators determined the victims were both killed with an ax, and "then one victim was dismembered with a saw."
The Englewood Herald reports that Maclaren told authorities he slayed his wife, Bethany Maclaren, and their daughter, Ruth Maclaren, because he was worried about money, and he wanted to prevent them from becoming homeless. He reportedly said his family was supposed to leave their apartment on March 25, and they had no other place to live due to finances.
Maclaren allegedly worked with the homeless in the past and was familiar with the challenges that come with it.
Maclaren reportedly used the ax to hit his wife and daughter in the head while they were on the couch, and then he hit them again two more times while they were unconscious.
In an interview, Maclaren allegedly told authorities he didn’t regret the attack because he "knows they are in a better place."
According to the Englewood Herald, Maclaren planned the attack 10 days prior and purchased an ax, trash cans, and a hand saw, which he kept in their apartment.
Maclaren was arrested and booked into the Arapahoe County Jail for first-degree murder without bond.
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