Man accused of murdering 4 family members, including 5-year-old niece, near Casa Grande

CASA GRANDE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man is accused of murdering four family members, including his teen sister and 5-year-old niece, on Sunday afternoon outside Casa Grande. Around 1:45 p.m., Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a 911 call from a home near McCartney and Bel Air roads. Deputies arrived and found four people inside the house murdered. Deputies then arrested 21-year-old Richard Wilson Jr. at the home.

The victims were identified as Wilson’s father, 47-year-old Richard Wilson, his mother, 50-year-old Ellen Otterman, his sister, 16-year-old Rudy Wilson, and his niece, ReNaya White.

“Disbelief, this doesn’t happen out here,” said Wanda Hamilton, a neighbor. “I can’t believe that, not him. I talked to that kid all the time.”

Hamilton said the family has lived at the home for about five years. She explained that Wilson lived with his grandparents a few doors down and went to his parent’s house daily to care for their horses. “You don’t see arguments over there or anything like that. He seemed like he cared for all of them, he never had anything bad to say to me about any of them,” Hamilton said.

Pinal County Chief Deputy Matthew Thomas said it was the 16-year-old who called 911. Unfortunately, the call dropped, and deputies couldn’t reach out in time. “Ultimately, that cost her, her life making that 911 call and when our people arrived she was one of the four deceased,” Thomas said.

Joy Moreno, another neighbor, said she’d often see the 5-year-old girl. “She was always outside playing. We always heard her laughing, she seemed like a very happy kid,” she said.

The Sheriff’s Office said it was called to that home ten times in the last three years. Two calls involved mental health pickup orders, and two others were welfare checks.

The Casa Grande Elementary School District posted the following message on their Facebook page:

Dear CGESD Families,

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you a student and staff member were tragically killed over the weekend. We are not releasing the names of those who passed out of respect for the family. Counselors will be on site this week to support our students and staff who may need someone with whom to talk. We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of these individuals and mourn the loss of two of our CGESD family.

With Gratitude, Dr. Adam Leckie

Superintendent Casa Grande Elementary School District

It’s unknown what led up to the murders, but deputies say Wilson was armed with a knife. Wilson was booked into Pinal County Jail on four counts of first-degree murder and is being held on a $2.5 million bond.

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