Thanksgiving Murder-Suicide: Father Slit Throats Of Wife, Two Toddler Sons Before Overdosing On Drugs


A horrific murder-suicide took place in a Louisiana home over the Thanksgiving weekend. Police say that 46-year-old David Mata killed his wife, 40-year-old Kelli Mata, and their two toddler sons, Liam, 2, and Caden, 4, by slitting their throats with a knife. After killing his family, David then overdosed on drugs. Meanwhile, Kelli’s 18-year-old daughter was on a hunting trip, who returned to find the gruesome murder scene and fled the home before calling 911.

The Daily Mail reports that police have identified David Mata as the killer in the murder-suicide plot that left four dead, including two toddlers. Police initially reported that three of the family members had been stabbed to death, but did not disclose the fourth victim’s cause-of-death. The police noted that the scene appeared to be a murder-suicide, but would not disclose which parent was responsible for the deaths. However, new information out of Marrero, Louisiana, suggests that the father, David Mata, killed his wife and two young sons before killing himself.

The first reports about the horrifying Thanksgiving weekend murder-suicide indicated that the Mata family had only lived in Marrero, Louisiana, for a brief period of time. The family moved into the residence just six months ago and during that time, there were no known domestic disturbances. From the outside, the family appeared to be picture perfect. Facebook photos show the family enjoying Halloween together dressed as minions and numerous happy selfies. However, it seems the photos were hiding a dark truth.

Kelli and David Mata
Kelli and David Mata on Halloween of this year. [Image via Facebook]
Kelli seemed to dote over her young sons, and they were frequently featured on her Facebook page. One recent photos series shows the little boys dressed as superheros with a line of superhero costumes hanging behind them.

Mata boys murdered by parent
The two sons of David and Kelli Mata were murdered by one of their parents in a Thanksgiving weekend murder-suicide. [Image via Facebook]
Though the family appeared normal on the outside, David had a tainted past that painted a very different picture of the man. Police have not released information on exactly what types of drugs were in David’s system at the time of the Thanksgiving murder-suicide. However, the husband and father did have a tainted past. David pleaded guilty to assaulting Kelli in 2010 prior to their move to Marrero. David also pleaded guilty to possessing 1,000 anabolic steroid tablets after they were found in a sting operation at his home, and he was arrested in 2003 for cocaine possession.

The new information released by the police suggests that David tucked the boys into bed, surrounding them by stuffed animals, before slitting their throats. Kelli’s throat was also slit, and her body was found in front of the living room television. There were no defensive marks found on Kelli’s body, with police noting that it appears the mother was knocked unconscious before having her throat slit.

Mata family prayer vigil
The local community was banding together for a prayer vigil in honor of the Mata family. [Image via Facebook]
Friends of the Mata family have been posting tributes to the young family. One friend said she was “absolutely heartbroken” following the horrible murder-suicide, and that she doesn’t know how to handle the news. She shared a photo taken of the two toddler boys killed in the tragedy along with the caption.

“Absolutely heart broken … Never experienced something like this and not sure how to handle the news! I can’t even comprehend what happen to those poor sweet beautiful babies and my sweet friend. RIP”

The man who rented the home to the Mata family says they always paid their rent on time and that they were a “picture-perfect family.” The landlord noted that Kelli was a homemaker while David worked as a mechanic at a local car dealership.

[Image via Facebook]

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