Tiffani Hill $2m lottery winner and child killed by John Donato Oklahoma man at Calera residence after wife sought to leave abusive relationship.
An Oklahoma woman and her 1-year-old daughter were shot dead by her husband in a murder-suicide just nine months after she won $2 million in the lottery, according to a report.
Tiffani Hill, 31, her husband, John Donato, 42, and their daughter, Leanne, were found with gunshot wounds to the head in their home in Calera, Oklahoma, on July 30, KXII reported.
The little girl was still alive when authorities arrived, but she died after being airlifted to a Texas hospital three days later. Hill and Donato were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe Donato shot his wife and their daughter before turning the gun on himself.
The murders unfolded after Hill won more than $2 million on an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers that she bought in Valley Springs, California, in November last year, her family says.
Did lotto winnings get in between the couple?
The mother of four married Donato a few months later and they relocated to Oklahoma.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long Hill and Donato had been together.
Her lottery winnings had caused tensions between the couple, a lawyer hired by Hill’s family told the outlet.
‘Could that have sparked that argument? We’ll never have any way of knowing. But I do know there were times it caused conflict between them,’ lawyer, Theresa McGehee said.
Relatives of Hill have alleged that she ‘was trying to get away from’ living with Donato, who they accused of domestic abuse, McGehee told KXII.
The money left behind by Hill and her husband is being put into a trust for the three surviving children, according to McGehee.
The three children, who were in the home when the murders unfolded but were unharmed, are currently in state care.
It is not clear if Donato was their father.
The FBI said it is the lead investigative agency for the suspected murder-suicide — rather than local police — because it occurred on tribal land and Hill was a member of the Choctaw Nation.
