California father, despondent over financial losses, kills family and himself

People of all age groups are increasingly worried about job security, housing costs, medical costs, rising college tuitions and providing for retirement, and this stress is taking a toll on their mental and physical well-being. Eighty percent of Americans say that the economy is a significant cause of anxiety in their lives.

These statistics tragically found flesh and blood expression last weekend when a 45-year-old former financial planner in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles killed his wife, mother-in-law and three sons before taking his own life, despondent over his familys financial situation.

Some time between Saturday night and Monday morning, Karthik Rajaram shot and killed his wife, Subasri, 39; his mother in law, Indra Ramasesham, 69; and his three sonsKrishna, 19, a business economics major at UCLA; Ganesha, 12; and Arjuna, 7. Rajaram was found dead in his younger sons bedroom, the gun still in his hand.

Police found the bodies in the familys 2,800-square-foot rented home in a gated community in the Sorrento neighborhood of Porter Ranch after a neighbor reported that Rajarams wife had not shown up for her carpool Monday morning. Subasri had worked as a bookkeeper at a local pharmacy.

According to police, Rajaram left behind three letters. In one addressed to the police, he took responsibility for the killings and blamed his actions on his economic situation. A second letter was addressed to family and friends, and a third contained a last will and testament.

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