The wife and mother gunned down in her rural West Virginia home in Monday had roots in Connecticut. She was from Bethlehem and has family in Torrington and Ansonia.
Five years ago, Karin Richardson, 41, moved from Connecticut to West Virginia when she married Charles Richardson III, 49, a friend told NBC Connecticut on Wednesday.
Shayne Riggleman, 22, of Morgantown, West Virginia, is accused of killing Charles, Karin and her children, 18-year-old Kevin Hudson and 22-year-old Katrina Hudson; along with 30-year-old Robert Raber. Riggleman killed himself on a roadside in Kentucky.
Katrina Hudson was six months pregnant when she was killed. She was expecting a little girl who she planned to name Alexis, according to Facebook posts.
Raber was Katrina's boyfriend, family members said.
Corrections officials told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Riggleman had served 14 months for armed robbery at a West Virginia state prison for young offenders,
West Virginia State Police Capt. James Merrill called the killings "one of the most heinous crimes I've ever witnessed" and said investigators believe they know Riggleman's motive but won't comment until they complete their investigation.
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He would not comment on how the suspect knew the five victims or what drew Riggleman to the house.
Karin’s family said Riggleman used to date Kevin’s girlfriend.
On Saturday afternoon, family in Connecticut will be releasing balloons at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, according to the Facebook page "Dedicated to My Family that Died in Sugar Grove, W.V."
Karin’s other children, a 23-year-old son, and twin 17-year old boys along with her ex-husband live in Ansonia.
One of those son's, Jacob Hudson spoke to NBC Connecticut News.
"My mom was an amazing person, loving, caring to anyone who would come by," Jacob Hudson said. "She was a mother to anyone."
