NJ Dad Accused of Murder-Suicide Sued Realtor Over Allegedly Tainted Mansion

Years before authorities say David Grodnick killed his wife and daughter before taking his own life, he and his wife Lora sued a real estate agent, alleging she mishandled their deposit and lured them into a hazardous rental property. The couple had relocated to Princeton, New Jersey, for the educational benefits for their daughter, who had special needs.

In a 2018 lawsuit filed in Mercer County Superior Court, the Grodnicks claimed that the real estate agent, Hong Jing, deposited their $33,800 deposit into her personal bank account, violating state consumer fraud laws. The suit also alleged that the rental property at 28 Morris Drive had significant issues, including arsenic in the well water, electrical failures, and carbon monoxide fumes from the fireplace.

The couple stated in their complaint that they chose the Princeton area due to the school system's advantages for their daughter. They alleged that Jing misrepresented the property's condition and failed to secure necessary certifications, such as occupancy and fire inspections. The Grodnicks claimed they had to pay out-of-pocket for repairs to the well pump, water heater, furnace, refrigerator, and plumbing due to the disclosed and undisclosed issues.

Jing, along with a Keller Williams franchisee and agent Adele DeMoro LLC, denied many of the allegations in their joint response in February 2019. They stated they lacked sufficient information to admit or deny most claims, including the reasons for the Grodnicks' move and the specifics of the property's hazardous conditions. They asserted that Jing was an independent contractor and that Keller Williams offices were independently owned and operated, denying any agency relationship with its franchisees.

The case was dismissed in September 2019 through a stipulation that included no admission of wrongdoing and no costs awarded to either party. The 2016 rental property was later sold for $837,000 in January 2021. The Grodnicks purchased a new home in Montgomery Township for $1.345 million in August 2021.

In October 2026, authorities responded to a welfare check at the Grodnicks' Montgomery Township home and discovered Lora, 62, and their 24-year-old daughter, Sloane, deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. David Grodnick, 61, was also found dead in the home with a firearm. The medical examiner ruled the deaths of Lora and Sloane as homicides and David's as a suicide. Prosecutors have stated there is no ongoing danger to the public and have not released a motive.

David Grodnick was a senior vice president and underwriting counsel at Land Services USA. Sloane Grodnick was a graduate of the Hun School of Princeton and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and was pursuing a master's degree at the Rhode Island School of Design.