Feb 26, 2009 4:57 pm US/Eastern
Disturbing Questions Of A Father's Murder-Suicide
Friends & Neighbors Described The Family As Perfect
50-year-old Pablo Amador Was A Music Teacher Who Killed Himself And Members Of His Family
SW MIAMI DADE (CBS4) ―
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A father and wife, and two daughters were found shot to death Wednesday in their South Miami-Dade home.
CBS
A church memorial service was held in Perrine on Thursday and counselors were at Southwood Middle School after the father of one of their classmates killed his two daughters and his wife before turning the gun on himself early Wednesday morning.
The family's pastor, Brian Carr of Perrine-Peters United Methodist Church said of the two surviving children, "They're hanging in there. They are still stunned but they are surviving. They are mourning for their entire family; their hearts are broken for the entire family."
Miami-Dade police detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Pablo Amador, 53, shot his 45-year old wife Maria and two of his daughters; 13-year old Rosa and 14-year old Prescilla.
The couple's 16-year old son, Javier, escaped the shooting by fleeing into a nearby home where he called 911 operators. A fourth daughter, 20-year old Beula "Bea" was attending classes at the University of Miami in Coral Gables where she's a music student.
Friends and neighbors believed the family was a perfect one, but some disturbing words written on the social networking sites of older daughter Bea, who was not at home at the time of the killings, and Priscilla, who died, suggest otherwise.
On Bea's "Facebook" page she wrote, 'Crying/hurting inside. Don't know how to deal. Not even gonna try attempting anymore."
On Priscilla's "My Space" page, there were haunting words, "I have gone through so much and yet I still try to stand tall, because this whole world is coming down on me, and blocking it hurts more and more."
Flowers and teddy bears have been accumulating at the site of the tragedy which happened at about 5 a.m. in their single-family home in the area of 160th Street and SW 98th Court.
Students at Southwood Middle were stunned when they learned that Rosa and Priscilla had been killed.
"I was shocked, no one has really experienced it before. We're all just shocked and bawling our eyes out," said student Ali Berkowitz.
"Everyone doesn't know what to do, we have counselors helping us and we're doing the best we can," said fellow student Katrina Leal.
Maria worked at
The Miami Project To Cure Paralysis, a research center dedicated to studies in the field of paralysis and spinal cord injury.
According to neighbors Pablo, a former tenor with the Greater Miami Opera chorus, gave piano lessons to students of all ages at the home.
A neighbor told CBS4 that the family was pleasant, and that every Saturday her children would go their house to take music lessons.
Claretha Allen added, "I can't even imagine what's going through my mind right now. I heard the helicopters this morning, but I never imagined it was Mr. Pablo's house."
Police have released no motive for the shooting and friends of the family, like James Carter, can't believe that Pablo could have committed such a horrendous act.
"I was shocked, I couldn't believe it, this is a tragedy," said Carter who ran into Pablo Amador at a bank a day before the shooting. "He walked out calm, he was dressed nice, he wasn't shaking he wasn't acting different; he was acting normal, and this was a real shocker.
"He was a nice man, a great nice man, real gentle, nice with kids, because both of my little boys were taking music lessons with him every Saturday," said Greg Allen.
In response to the outpouring of sympathy from the community for the Amador family, the University of Miami established a fund to assist Beula and her brother, Javier.
Please include on the checks that funds are for the benefit of the Amador Family, and make payable to:
The University of Miami
PO Box 248073
Coral Gables, FL 33124
Click here to read University of Miami President Donna Shalala's statement.
(CBS4 Reporters Gary Nelson & Natalia Zea contributed to this report.)
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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