COLUMBUS, Ohio – Police records show the suspect in the April slaying of four Ohio family members told a relative after the killings that he would rather die than go to jail.
Randle Roberts, who died in a shootout that injured three police officers, told his stepfather he had committed murder and was not going to jail for the rest of his life.
In records released to The Associated Press Friday, Roberts' mother says after her son made those statements, he walked past her and started shooting at police officers outside the house.
Several relatives interviewed by police say Roberts became addicted to painkillers after a 2008 back surgery and stole frequently to support his habit.
But no one could explain why he killed the four family members including an 8-year-old girl.
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