Deputies discovered a woman, identified as Monika Rubacha, 44, and her two children, Josh James, 14, and Emma James, 11, dead in separate rooms from homicidal violence during a welfare check at a Lakewood Ranch home on Thursday. According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to the home in the 8200 block of Pavia Way around 8:30 p.m. at the request of the homeowner, who was out of town. Upon arrival, deputies saw circumstances that prompted them to enter the home, where they found the three deceased individuals.
Police described the Florida scene as 'violent' and 'not a good scene at all'. Authorities believe Monika Rubacha killed her children in different rooms before taking her own life. Police confirmed no one else was implicated in the Florida shootings, treating it as a murder-suicide, and the deaths were from gunshot wounds, according to multiple reports.
Richard James, the children's father, was on a business trip in South America at the time of the Florida deaths. Richard James contacted police after not hearing from his wife for over a day, multiple reports indicate. The father and husband was on his way back from South America, flew in this morning, and had to be notified of what happened, according to a source.
Richard James is the brother of Sky Sports presenter Polly James, according to multiple reports. Polly James is a 38-year-old radio DJ from Cardiff known as sport's 'funkiest presenter', and images of Richard James and his family are on Polly James's Facebook page. Peter James, father of Polly and Richard, is a retired Navy Officer with an MBE and president of Euro-American Strategies, multiple reports indicate.
Investigators suggested there was 'some planning involved' in the Florida deaths, and authorities noted Monika Rubacha 'knew what she was doing' in the murder-suicide. Preliminary information indicates that all parties are accounted for and there is no threat to the community, the MCSO said. The family moved here from out of state, from Missouri, about 3 years ago, and there have been no incidents at this address and deputies have not responded to the home in the past, according to a source.
The Medical Examiner will determine the official causes and manner of deaths, and the motive for the deaths has not been revealed. The exact circumstances that prompted deputies to enter the home remain unclear, and the specific traumatic injuries sustained by the victims beyond gunshot wounds have not been disclosed. The family is really going through it and has nothing more to say, according to a source.
We are really going through it. We have nothing more to say.
In a separate incident, a former deputy governor of Virginia and his wife were found dead at their home on Thursday morning, multiple reports indicate. Authorities describe the Virginia deaths as a murder-suicide, and investigators say Justin Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself. The nature of the domestic dispute that led to the Virginia shooting has not been detailed by officials.
Both of the couple's teenage children were at home during the Virginia incident, according to multiple reports. Fairfax County authorities responded to an emergency call from the former deputy governor's son just after midnight, and the caller said he thought his mother had been stabbed, multiple reports indicate. The children discovered the bodies, leading to the emergency response.
Justin Fairfax served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022, and he was the second black person elected to statewide office in Virginia, according to multiple reports. His tenure was overshadowed by two allegations of sexual assault, which he denied. The situation was described as a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family, according to a source.
Investigators found bullet casings near the wife's body in Virginia, and there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting, according to investigators. The incident was described as all kind of happening at once and pretty spontaneously, according to a source. The investigation is ongoing to determine the exact sequence of events.
The two separate murder-suicides are under investigation by different jurisdictions. The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch is aware of the tragic incident and stated that the matter remains under investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. The Virginia case was described as involving an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce, according to a source.
Former governor of Virginia Ralph Northam expressed devastation over the Virginia deaths in a statement. The investigations into both cases continue, with authorities working to piece together the events leading to the tragedies. Community members in both Florida and Virginia are grappling with the shock of these violent incidents, as law enforcement provides updates while respecting the privacy of the affected families.