Obituary for man who murdered wife and five kids says he was great dad

2023-01-16

Warped obituary for Utah murder-suicide dad who killed his five kids, wife and mom-in-law after spouse requested divorce says he ‘made point of spending quality time with his children’, as his image in family photo is replaced with picture of JESUS

Relatives posted a glowing tribute to the Utah father who killed his five kids, wife, and mother-in-law before killing himself
The obituary for Michael Haight, 42, has sparked outrage online
His remembrance included a photo of the family he killed – but he was photoshopped out and replaced with Jesus

An obituary for a Utah man accused of killing his five kids and wife last week in an apparent murder-suicide has sparked outrage, after relatives offered a glowing tribute to the deceased that praised him as a parent.

The eulogy for 42-year-old Michael Haight saw the accused killer hailed for ‘making it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children,’ who were described as a ‘cherished miracle’ to him and his slain wife.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up by the victims’ relatives featured a photoshopped image of Haight replaced with Jesus, and elected to ignore the January 4 murders of his wife, Tausha, 40, and their five children, who ranged in age from 4 to 17.

Also killed during the grisly murder spree was Haight’s 78-year-old mother-in-law, who had been staying at the family’s home at the time. Haight is said to have embarked on the slaughter after Taisha requested a divorce.

The murders, meanwhile, have left the rural, farming community – which is comprised of mostly Mormons – at a loss, as they try to make sense of the senseless tragedy.

The bizarre piece further featured a photoshopped image of Haight replaced with Jesus, and elected to ignore the January 4 murders of his wife, Tausha, 40, and their five children, who ranged in age from 4 to 17

The original photo of the deceased family of seven before Haight was replaced by Jesus

In an update last week, Enoch Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut said police were still investigating the killings – while revealing that court records showed Tausha Haight had filed for divorce from her husband of 20 years on December 21, exactly two weeks before the murders.

Haight’s five children – daughters Macie, Briley, Sienna, and sons Ammon and Gavin – were all discovered by police the morning after the murders with fatal gunshot wounds, with their mother and grandmother both suffering the same fate.

Not far from their bodies was Haight, who police believe carried out the killing spree before turning the gun on himself.

Haight’s obituary further fanned unrest surrounding the grisly slayings, which has left the small town of 8,000 in mourning, and relatives saying it could have been avoided.

Haight removed all guns from the home prior to the alleged killings, Tausha sister Jennie Earl told The Associated Press, leaving the family ‘vulnerable.’

Haight’s tribute, meanwhile, did not mention the killings, and offered a glowing description of the deceased’s life – as any other obituary, penned under more normal circumstances, might.

Also killed during the grisly murder spree was Haight’s 78-year-old mother-in-law, Gail Earl (pictured left) who had been staying at the family’s home at the time.

The comments section for the obituary also did not mention his slain family members

The piece – which was also posted online but swiftly deleted as many took offense to it – described how Haight was born on January 7, 1980 in Seattle, and moved to Cedar City, Utah, with his family as a small child.

It described how in his youth, Haight ‘loved spending time participating in city league baseball, basketball, soccer, various outdoor and scouting activities,’ and touted how the septuple-murder suspect ‘achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.’

The eulogy went on to assert Haight ‘excelled at everything he did’ and revealed that, as a Mormon, he went on a mission to Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

According to the penned piece, Haight ‘loved the people he met on his mission and had many fond memories of his time spent there.’

The obituary said he went on to marry Tausha in 2003 while the two had been attending Southern Utah University, before graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 2004.

It was revealed that Tausha had filed for divorce from her husband, Michael, on December 21

Tausha’s Facebook page is littered with images showing how her family grew in recent years

The pair then ‘welcomed 5 children into their family,’ the tribute continues, before offering songs of praise for the suspected killer – including that he ‘enjoyed making memories with the family’ and that he ‘lived a life of service’ to the Mormon church, also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

‘Each of these children were truly a cherished miracle to them,’ the piece asserts, adding that ‘Michael made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of them.

‘Michael enjoyed making memories with the family,’ it continues. ‘He spent many evenings and Saturdays coaching the children’s city league sporting teams, attending the children’s concerts at school, going on side-by-side rides, doing home-improvement projects, sledding and much more.

‘Michael lived a life of service. Whether it was serving in the church or in the community, he was willing to help with whatever was needed.’

Welfare checks usually take place when neighbors raise concerns or when individuals have not been seen for an extended period of time

The victims were found Wednesday when police did a welfare check at the residence

It added that prior to the murders, Haight ‘had owned and operated a successful insurance agency,’ which ‘he recently sold his business to allow more flexibility to spend time with his family.’

It added that Haight is survived by his mother Brenda Haight, two brothers and one sister, and his maternal grandparents. It added that ‘he is also survived by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins,’ and that his funeral would be held privately – separate from a procession held for the other seven members of the family, attended Friday by friends, neighbors, family, and classmates.

‘The family would like to express a special thank you to those in the community who have reached out with their love and support and all who have helped in any way,’ Haight’s obituary added. Readers were assured: ‘You are very much appreciated.’

Shortly after being published in Enoch’s local newspaper The Spectrum, the glowing tribute was quickly met with criticism – including from Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action which seeks to address incidents of gun violence in the US.

One of the most prominent activists against gun violence in the country, Watts shared a link to the obituary on Twitter, citing several quotes – including one that insisted that Haight had ‘lived a life of service.’

The anti-gun figure would also share a statement from the family of Haight’s slain wife, in which relatives warned the media for ‘using our family’s story for any advocacy of political agendas,’ while insisting that ‘God that can render a forgiving heart.’

Appalled by the appeal, Watts wrote: ‘And if that’s not gross enough, the wife’s family put out a statement supporting… guns.’

The day after the killings, a slew of Utah officials – and even President Joe Biden – commented on the tragedy. In a statement, the White House called the slayings ‘tragic’

Watts went on to cite how none of the comments on an online version of the obituary – which has since been made private – mentioned Tausha Haight or her kids.

‘None of the obituary comments mention the victims,’ the anti-gun activist wrote.

Others were quick to hone in on Watts’ posts, as the believed murder-suicide – which is still being investigated – continues to garner national attention.

The day after the killings, a slew of Utah officials – and even President Joe Biden – commented on the tragedy.

In a statement, the White House called the slayings ‘tragic’ and commented on how it had occurred ‘less than one month’ after the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting.

Now, Biden’s official statement read, ‘another mass shooting has claimed the lives of five more children in Enoch City.’

Cops are now looking to glean a motive for the killings, apart from the prospect of Haight being disgruntled over his looming divorce.

An account from a friend of the family on social media offered some potential insight on the father-of-five’s allegedly unstable mindset in the buildup to the murders, as well as his abusive behavior.

‘He was a two- faced abusive monster,’ the post circulating on social media from a friend of the family reads.

‘My brother and sis-in-law were good friends with them for years. My brother said he was controlling, manipulative, and mentally abusive for years but no one knew how bad until recently.

‘He would demand she have dinner on the table ready when he got home. No one ate until he took the first bite.

‘If she was preparing dinner and he would call and say he wanted something else, she had to start over.

‘Once he was late coming home so she let the kids start eating. When he got home and saw them eating without him- he threw all the food on the floor and made her start dinner all over again.’

The post, which was reshared by several people close to the family, insisted that Haight ‘controlled’ his wife’s friendships, and that days before her murder, Tausha missed an appointment with a women’s crisis center.

‘She was in the process of finally working to get herself and the kids away from him when he did this,’ the account further asserted.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Jennie Earl, Tausha’s sister, remarked that Michael Haight had removed all guns from the home prior to the alleged killings leaving Tausha, her mother, and her sister’s five children more ‘vulnerable.’

Cops in the small farm town are still probing the tragedy – the latest in an increasingly common spate of family mass killings across the United States, occurring on average every 3.5 weeks over the last two decades.

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