Son’s Ball Field Killing Was Planned, Police Say
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The suicidal man who gunned down his estranged girlfriend and their 10-year-old son at the boy’s baseball game in St. Louis had been researching murder-suicides on the Internet, police said.
Matthew Toland Sr. may have killed his son Monday night because the boy had not confided in him about the strained relationship between the parents, police said.
According to authorities and witnesses, Toland showed up at Penrose Park and called for his son. When Matthew approached, Toland pulled a .357-caliber automatic pistol and shot the boy twice. He then shot his ex-girlfriend Carmen Anderson as she sat in a car. Toland later killed himself.
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