Report: "Fear of deportation" behind Fla. crossbow killings

WESTON, Fla. – The Miami Herald newspaper reports that fear of deportation and financial problems may have been the motive that caused a South Florida man to commit double-murder and then suicide on Monday.

Investigators say Pedro Maldonado, 53, killed his wife and his teenage son with a crossbow at their Weston home Dec. 2 before driving to Tallahassee and trying to kill his 21-year-old son who is a student at Florida State University. Maldonado was found dead in a Lake City motel room early on Dec. 4. Police said he apparently slit his throat.

According to the paper, Broward Sheriff’s Office John Curcio said Maldonado’s Visa was expired and he was facing financial problems. Early this year, Maldonado and his wife, Monica Narvaez-Maldonado, were reportedly ordered by a court to pay $3,600 in back rent.

There were no records that show the Maldonados, who were natives of Ecuador, faced deportation but according to the Miami Herald, Narvaez-Maldonado had been denied an extended permission to stay in the country several times.

Carole Tomara, a family acquaintance, told the paper Pedro Maldonado and his wife were devoted parents.

Ecuadorian authorities in the U.S. are reportedly helping the surviving member of the family, Jose Maldonado, arrange the possible repatriation of the bodies.