Love Turns To Violent Death -- Troubled Marriage Called Motive In Murder-Suicide

In the mailbox for Apartment 106 is an advertising circular reminding lovers of Valentine's Day tomorrow.

Down the hall, inside the first-floor unit in South Seattle, love turned violent early yesterday morning in what police are calling the murder-suicide of five members of a Laotian family.

Police say Founguan Xang Saepharn killed his wife and three children sometime during the night in their apartment in the 4400 block of 36th Avenue South, then turned the gun on himself.

The dead were identified as Saepharn, whose age could not be confirmed; his wife, Mey Choy Saepharn, 31; their two daughters, Lin Da Nguan, 10, and Susan Nguan, 9; and son Scott Nguan, 8, according to the King County medical examiner's office.

All five died of gunshots to the head, and a 9mm pistol was found in the man's hand, said Seattle police homicide Sgt. Don Cameron.

MARRIAGE HAD BEEN TROUBLED

Relatives gathered outside the apartment building yesterday said the couple had been having marital problems for about six months and had sought counseling in the close-knit Laotian community.

Mey Choy Saepharn had been seeing another man she had met at her job and wanted to leave the marriage, but her husband was not willing to let her go, the relatives said.

"He didn't want to have a divorce," said Tonchieng Saechao, 26, a cousin of the slain woman. "He didn't want to lose his children."

Tonchieng Saechao said Saepharn had recently made threats about killing himself or "all his family" to friends. "Everyone was worried and told him `you don't have to do like that.' "

But no one contacted officials outside the Laotian community because they believed the matter could be handled by friends and family, said Saechao.

DIVORCE RARE, FROWNED ON IN LAOS

In Laos, divorce is rare, said Kao Ein Saechao, who had counseled the couple. He is a leader in the Mien community, a tribe from the Laotian highlands.

When a couple separates in Laos, it causes the couple and people who were witnesses at their wedding to "lose face," said Kao Ein Saechao. Certain Laotian communities fine a couple that divorces, he added.

Kin Ein Saechao said he had met twice with Saepharn and his wife and after the second time he believed everything would be all right.

"The way he talked we thought he could work it out," the counselor said.

Don Heath, who employed Saepharn in his West Seattle landscaping business, said the man talked about committing suicide about a month ago because of depression over his wife's actions.

Heath said Saepharn had talked about his marital troubles since last fall.

"It was a real hard thing for him to deal with because he wanted his marriage to work and he wanted his wife to stay," said Heath. "I wish we could have pressed further for counseling, but the Laotian community did a very good job trying to help them."

Everything seemed normal for Saepharn as he worked Tuesday, said Heath. He said he last saw the couple together about two weeks ago when he attended a lunch at their apartment celebrating the Laotian New Year.

"Everything seemed OK, and Fou had said things were better," said Heath.

The couple married in Laos and spent about four years in a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to the U.S. in 1980, said Vane Parn Fou, a relative.

Founguan Saepharn began working for Heath in 1981 and, according to her cousin, Mey Choy Saepharn worked at a seafood-packing company.

The three children were bused to Blaine Elementary School in Magnolia.

Dan Hodel, Seattle School District spokesman, said a crisis-intervention team would be at Blaine early this morning to meet first with teachers and staff, and later students.

A letter was sent home yesterday with students informing their parents about the killings.

Hodel said Scott was in the third grade, and both Susan and Lin Da were in the fourth grade at Blaine.

The bodies were found in the apartment's only bedroom by police about 7:30 a.m. yesterday after relatives called, saying the family couldn't be contacted.

A woman who lives directly above the family was awakened by the sound of a gunshot between 2 and 3 a.m., said her son, Andy Sateurn, 18. After hearing a girl's scream and three more shots, the woman tried to call downstairs but got no answer.

She went downstairs, pounded on their apartment door and, when there was no response, she called relatives of the family, who in turn alerted police.

All but one apartment in the 14-unit building is occupied by Laotians.

A funeral will be held at the nearby house of a relative, said Kao Ein Saechao.