Man kills his wife and daughter, 1, in murder-suicide nine months after she won $2M lottery which led to arguments
A WOMAN and her one-year-old daughter have been shot dead by her husband in a horrific murder-suicide just nine months after she won $2million on a lottery scratchcard.
Tiffani Hill, 31, her husband John Donato, 42, and the couple's baby daughter Leanne were found dead in their Calera, Oklahoma residence on Friday.
Police say Donato shot the pair before turning the gun on himself.
Hill and Donato died immediately at the scene, while Leanne was flown via air ambulance to a hospital in Dallas, but tragically could not be saved, .
Hill won $2million from the California lottery in November of last year on a scratch off ticket.
Following her win, she married Donato, who she had three other children with, and the family moved to Oklahoma together.
The three other children were at home at the time of the shooting but were not injured.
An attorney for the family, Theresa McGehee, told KXII that the lottery money was a specific point of contention for the couple.
"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."
Hill's family members also shared that the 31-year-old wanted to escape the relationship as Donato became abusive.
Jamie Kern, Hill's sister, : "She was such a kind-hearted, beautiful person. She loved her kids dearly.
"She would barely let them out of her sight. Her main goal in this world was to try and make a difference."
The family hopes most of all that Hill's story will influence others experiencing domestic abuse to seek help.
According to McGehee, Hill was in the process of making plans to escape the marriage when the murder occurred.
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"Tiffani was trying to make arrangements with her family," McGehee said. "I wonder if this would have had a different outcome had she reached out to the crisis center."
She added: "There are resources that people don't reach out for. She hopes somebody's listening and will think this could be me next, this could be me and my child."
A has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses.
