Man charged in deaths of wife, children found covered in blood on bed with the 3 bodies

COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KWTX) - Officers found a Copperas Cove man who’s charged in the weekend deaths of his wife and two children covered with blood on a bed with the three bodies, a complaint released Monday says.

Bryan Richardson, 27, is charged with three counts of murder.

His bonds total $2.25 million.

Copperas Cove police found the two children and the woman, identified in the complaint as Kiera Michelle Ware, dead after responding to a request for a welfare check from the slain woman’s brother at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at a home at 1301 Fairbanks St., according to a complaint released Monday.

An officer followed the brother into the backyard of the home where the man shined his cellphone flashlight throw a window, illuminating a dark liquid on the floor, the complaint says.

An officer entered the home through an open bay window and opened the back door.

Officers found “a large amount of blood on the kitchen and living room floors” and a small dog lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, the complaint says.

Officers forced the locked door to a corner room open after discovering a “large pool of blood on the floor just outside the door,” and found Richardson lying on a bed, covered in blood, the complaint says.

Beneath him officers found the body of his wife and beside him the bodies of two children, identified in the complaint as “CR” and “BR.”

“BR” was next to his mother and the child’s body was wrapped in a blanket.

“CR” was next to “BR” and was covered by a comforter.

When officers asked Richardson what had happened, he claimed he didn’t know the complaint says.

Officers found a blood-covered kitchen knife on a table along with an empty six pack of beer and an empty bottle of the prescription antidepressant Trazodone.

Richardson was found to have three lacerations to his left arm that he said were self-inflicted, the complaint says.

He told officers, in response to question on a booking form about whether he was worried about losing a job, his spouse or custody of his children, “I already lost all of those.”

The older of the two children was a Pre-K student at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy, the Copperas Cove ISD confirmed Monday.

Our hearts are broken with this tragedy, especially at this time of the year, CCISD Director of Behavioral Support Rhonda Burnell said in a statement.

“We are providing additional counseling services and resources to both students and staff to assist them in dealing with this loss. We will continue to assess the needs of the students and provide developmentally appropriate support and services. Parents may contact the school if they would like their children to receive counseling services.”

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