Gary Anderson, father of Amanda Karolkiewicz and grandfather to six children killed in a murder-suicide, stated he still holds love for his son-in-law, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, despite the horrific act.
"In a way, I still love Kris," Anderson, 78, told The Detroit News. He added that a person's worth should not be defined by "the worst thing they did on the worst day of their life," recalling Karolkiewicz as a "good father and a good husband" for much of their acquaintance.
Last Friday, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, is believed to have fatally shot his wife Amanda, 39, and their six children, aged five to fifteen, before setting their $750,000 Grand Haven Township, Michigan, home on fire and taking his own life. Investigators found the couple's bodies in their bedroom and the children's in their respective rooms.
Anderson acknowledged being aware of "some failures that entered their relationship" but stated he has "no idea what happened" to cause the tragedy. He suggested that only Kristopher and Amanda truly understood the internal struggles that led to their marriage's downfall.
Unearthing Potential Motives
Details emerging from the investigation suggest marital difficulties may have played a role. According to Reddit posts attributed to Amanda Karolkiewicz, Kristopher Karolkiewicz engaged in an "emotional affair" with an intern approximately six years prior to the incident. The posts described the intern as a "younger, wilder" version of herself. Amanda Karolkiewicz reportedly admitted to shoving Kristopher violently upon discovering the affair and later forcing him to quit his job.
Despite these alleged past issues, the couple had reportedly been attending couples and individual therapy and had embraced sobriety. However, sources close to the family indicated that the validity of the Reddit posts could not be confirmed, though they acknowledged the posts offered an outlet for someone experiencing distress.
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Kristopher Karolkiewicz had recently lost his position as Vice President of sales and marketing with the American Heart Association (AHA) earlier this month, according to a statement from the organization. He had been employed by the AHA since September 2023.
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Investigators are reviewing neighborhood surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as they attempt to reconstruct the family's final hours. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office also reported the discovery of at least three dead dogs and one dead cat within the residence, with authorities suspecting additional animals may have perished in the blaze. The deaths of Amanda and her children have been ruled homicides, while Kristopher's death has been classified as a suicide. The cause of the fires remains under investigation by Michigan State Police arson investigators.