A man killed his new wife, their one-year-old daughter, and himself in a double murder-suicide after she won $2 million in the California lottery.
The family lawyer said the $2 million payout was a “source of conflict” in John Donato and Tiffani Hill’s brief marriage.
Authorities said Hill, 31, was a victim of domestic violence. She was living in California in November 2020 when she won $2 million from a scratch off ticket.
A few months later, she married Donato and the family moved to Oklahoma.
Police say Donato, 42, fatally shot Hill and their daughter, 23-month-old daughter, Leanne Donato, before turning the gun on himself at their new home in Calera, Oklahoma on July 30.
Hill’s three older children, ages 7, 9 and 11, were in the home when the murder-suicide occurred but they were unharmed.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the double murder-suicide because it took place on tribal land. Hill was a registered member of the Choctaw Nation, according to SFgate.com.
Hill’s sister, Jamie Kern, created a GoFundMe page to help bring the three surviving children back home to California.
Hill’s lottery winnings will be placed in a trust for the surviving children.
