As reported on MSNBC, with reactions from the neighbors here.
Many more details are available online via the San Luis Obispo Tribune
On October 3rd, Psychiatrist Dr. John Michael Rivard called 9-1-1 from his home on Frambuesa Drive in San Luis Obispo.
He fatally shot himself while on the phone with dispatchers.
When officers arrived, they found Rivard, his wife Barbara and their 7-year-old daughter Olivia all shot to death.
The couple's two younger children were found unharmed.
Today [Thursday, Oct 18], police confirmed what actually happened inside the home.
"Rivard stated that there had been a homicide-suicide in the home and that he had killed his wife Barbara after there had been an altercation between Barbara and their daughter Olivia," said San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deborah Linden.
Barbara was found dead on the floor in Olivia's bedroom. Police say they found no physical indication of a fight between Barbara and Olivia.
"John Michael Rivard severely beat his wife Barbara with a metal flashlight on her head while Barbara was in Olivia's bedroom. Sometime after that he shot Barbara and used a pillow to muffle the sound. After killing Barbara, John Rivard shot Olivia while she was lying in Rivard's bed," said Chief Linden.
John Michael Rivard was found still clutching the .357 revolver used in the killings and his cell phone.
Investigators used his statements to dispatchers and forensic evidence to determine the sequence of the deaths.
"The typical things that were examined were the blood evidence, blood spatter, where was it, the gun itself," said Chief Linden.
While police believe they have put together the puzzle of who pulled the trigger, there are a few things that remain a mystery.
"There are certainly facts that we don't know that we can't determine and I think in this investigation that we'll never know why he did this or what his motivation was," said Chief Linden.
The two Rivard children found alive inside the home are being cared for by family members.
Police say they have an incredible support system and are handling the tragedy as well as can be expected.
2 comments:
I was a patient of Dr. Rivard and saw him days before this happened. During our session, he broke the barrier between doctor/patient and started ranting about his difficulties with the insurance companies. This went on for approximately 20 minutes.
I left afraid to return.
I was also a patient of Dr. Rivard's and found him to be a highly professional Psychiatrist that kept his boundaries 100%, never, ever spoke of Anything personal - EVER. My previous Psychiatrist in Morro Bay had an accusation from the DOJ filed against him for stalking a patient and lied to me about it (I've worked in the law 27 years and know how to look things up), the one before that, when I lived in L.A., misdiagnosed me and sexually exploited me for 6 months, I reported, went very quickly to DOJ's office where accusation was filed, months later I filed a lawsuit which ended in my favor.
Compared to those guys, Dr. Rivard was a prince of a Psychiatrist. I am not speaking of his personal life, but of his professional life, and I KNOW that a lot of his clients had spoken of his professionalism and how much they liked him as a professional as well.
He was one of the best doctors I have ever had. I am sorry he, his wife and daughter are gone. A very sad situation.
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