Man, 35, shot his 29-year-old girlfriend and their two young sons, ages 7 and 4, before setting their house on fire and turning the gun on himself

By Michael Avery in News On 10th September 2015
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A 35-year-old man shot dead his girlfriend and their two young children before setting their house on fire and turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide authorities confirmed.

The tragic incident happened in Long Branch, New Jersey. Firefighters were called to the family-of-four's home and found Lyndon Beharry, 35; Amanda Morris, 29; and their children, 7-year-old Brandon Beharry and 4-year-old Brian Beharry suffering fatal gunshot wounds.

When firefighters arrived, the victims were 'found in the same upstairs bedroom and they were struggling to survive,' said Marc LeMieux, first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor.

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The couple and their two children were taken to a hospital, but they could not be saved and later died. The exact cause of the four family members' deaths are still under investigation but it appears all four suffered gunshot wounds.

Lyndon Beharry worked for the city's public works department.

'He was an excellent mechanic and a very good-natured person,' department director Fred Migliaccio told the Asbury Park Press.

Investigators determined that the blaze ignited in more than one spot, and it didn't appear to be accidental, LeMieux said.

A cousin of Lyndon Beharry was alarmed to hear about the murder-suicide since he had attended a barbecue with his cousin earlier that night and all seemed fine.

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'We were like brothers. We would go to the water parks with the kids on the weekends. I don't know how they could say this. They lived very happily,' Ronald Beharry, who was also a neighbor, told the newspaper.

However, a neighbor said that they heard the couple arguing on the porch the day before the fire, according to CBS New York.

The outside of the home showed little fire damage and all of it was confined to the second floor.

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Lyn Jones, who lives next door to the Beharry's home, spoke out after the family's death, saying she doesn't want the tragedy to taint the family's memory.

'That's just not the message I want people to have of this family,' Jones told NJ.com. 'They just loved their babies. I want people to know that.

'Given the right amount of circumstance, you don't know what you'll do. And I just want people to know they loved each other. ... In a moment four lives are gone and they'll be missed.'