Family members of 5 Alameda murder victims face accused killer in court
OAKLAND, Calif. - Family members of five Alameda murder victims are demanding justice after prosecutors say Shane Killian shot and killed his own family.
More than a dozen devastated family members of the July 10 mass murder in the small island community gathered outside the Alameda County courthouse in Oakland on Monday to console one another after seeing the accused killer for the first time.
"I felt very disgusted being on the other side and seeing him with no face expression," said Karen Diaz, a relative of the victims.
The 54-year-old defendant stood silently in court without looking at spectators.
"It’s really painful for the family," said another family member, Esmeralda Juarez. "Seeing him there standing with no sympathy at all, like, what kind of heart is that?"
According to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Killian shot and killed his wife, 36-year-old Brenda Morales, the couple’s two sons, 6-year-old William, and 1-year-old Wesley.
Killian is also accused of killing his mother-in-law, 56-year-old Marta Morales, and father-in-law, 70-year-old Miguel Carcamo.
"He was the most loving, caring person," said Juarez, who, along with Diaz, are nieces of Carcamo.
"His second name was Angel," said Juarez. "He was an angel."
The cousins say they never had any communication with Killian, and have no knowledge of any history of violence.
The D.A. did not add a special circumstance of multiple murders, which would prevent Killian from getting parole if he is convicted, leaving the family frustrated.
"I’m speechless. It hurts," said Juarez.
The family feels it’s unfair that the arraignment has now been postponed twice after the defense asked the judge for more time to gather information and evidence.
"All we want is, we want justice," said Diaz.
Legal analyst Steven Clark suspects the defense is building a case on their client’s mental health.
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"They’re going to reverse engineer this series of homicides and say that this was an impulsive act done by someone who was unhinged and mentally unstable," said Clark.
Juarez says her uncle and aunt were outgoing and loved their grandsons.
"We’re broken into a million pieces," said Juarez. "This pain will never go away."
The family is hoping Killian will be found guilty and receive the maximum punishment.
Killian did not enter a plea on Monday.
His arraignment is postponed until August 30.
The D.A.’s office declined KTVU’s request for comment.
The family said the five bodies are still in Alameda County.
They are planning to have them buried in El Salvador, where the Carcamo family is from, but don’t know when that will happen.