Man Murders Family, Kills Self After Being Caught With Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Card

A man in Germany murdered his wife and three young daughters before killing himself fearing he would be arrested for forging a COVID-19 vaccine card, authorities said.

The 40-year-old man, identified as Devid R from Koenigs Wusterhausen, south of Berlin, was found fatally shot at his home on Dec.4 alongside his wife and three daughters aged 4, 8, and 10. Police recovered a suicide note left by the man suggesting that he killed his family fearing that he and his wife would be arrested for forging the vaccine card and would lose custody of their children, New York Post reported.

Wusterhausen admitted in the note that he had forged the vaccine card for his wife who worked for the TH Wildau University. However, his wife's employer later found out that it was a fake card and had threatened to report the incident to the authorities. The couple feard that an investigation into the matter would eventually lead to their arrest and they would lose their children, prosecutor Gernot Bantleon told Reuters.

Police were called to the couple's house after neighbors found the lifeless bodies from the window of the house. Investigators recovered a gun from the scene but it is not immediately clear if it was the gun used for the fatal shootings.

Germany has enforced strict laws regarding vaccination and made it mandatory for employees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to their employers. Last week, the country implemented stricter laws denying access for unvaccinated to all but the most essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and bakeries.

Recently, a Maryland man was busted for selling more than 600 fake COVID-19 vaccine cards after advertising for them through his social media pages.

Amar Salim Shabazz was charged with mail fraud and obstruction of justice for ordering hundreds of fake vaccine cards through a foreign online marketplace, illegally delivering them to the United States, and distributing them through the United Parcel Service. He sold the fake vaccine cards from $60 to $75 according to the Department of Justice.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.