Some people make the mistake of believing what they swear to in the marriage ceremony. They never fully appreciate that the marriage license is actually a state contract which can be terminated by either party at any time without cause with forfeiture of half the property and income garnishment levied upon the non-custodial party.
Is it any surprise tradgedies like this occur more frequently during a poor economy? Nope.
I hear where you are coming from - but I don’t think this huge departure from rational action on the sake of this “man” was due to that. As others have posted, his irrationality probably was manifest in other ways which prompted the wife for a divorce.
I have seen my sister fleece her ex for tons of money. It is a disgrace to him, and I take it as a disgrace to my parents. I know other guys that will never dig themselves out of the debt of child support and alimony.
I probably am a fool for believing what I swore to in marriage. But after almost 20 years we have still stuck together “through better or worse”. Of course if she did leave me, and after seeing the bank account drain and my hope dwindle I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility that I might have an accident and miss a turn on one of the many mountain roads I find myself on.
I hear ya, desperate times lead to desperation and all that but I gotta say I'd gladly give up every thing I own, not just 50%, if it would protect my daughter. The idea of hunting her down and killing her because I was mad to lost my stuff is so alien to me as to be unfathomable. I don't think this man had a full deck, to do what he did tells me he was a timebomb and I only wish he'd gotten help or chosen to detonate in a room alone rather than destroying his two kids.
This story makes me very sad.
Look at the bright side: Divorces are down.