Records: Wife killed in murder-suicide feared dad would hurt kids
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DUNDEE, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon man shot and killed his estranged wife and their two children at his home on the Fourth of July before killing himself, police said Thursday. Court records show the woman had sought to keep her husband away from the kids because she considered him dangerous.
The bodies of Randall and Amy Engels and the two children were found Wednesday at the home in Dundee, about 25 miles south of Portland in the heart of Oregon's wine country.
Amy Engels had filed for divorce from Randall Engels on May 29, and she moved with their children from their home in Dundee to nearby Newberg nearly five weeks earlier, court records show. They had been married 14 years.
Police have not given a motive for the shooting or said why Amy Engels and the children were back at the house on July Fourth.
When Amy Engels filed for divorce, she asked a Yamhill County judge to issue an emergency temporary custody and parenting order, citing an "immediate danger" to her children.
"My husband has threatened to steal them and not return them," she said in an affidavit. "He has threatened to hurt them. He yells at them and makes them feel nervous and upset."
A handwritten decision read, "Denied — danger not established." It was signed by Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor.
In the divorce filing, Amy Engels wrote that she and her husband had decided he will have parenting time at least once per week — prearranged with at least two hours' notice. But it's unknown what type of arrangement the pair worked out before the killings.
The files don't contain the name of a lawyer or show that Randall Engels had participated in the divorce filing.
The court records identify the children as a daughter, Bailey, about 13, and a son, Jackson, about 11. The papers say they had lived with their parents in Dundee from birth until late April, when Amy Engels and the children moved to Newberg.
State records show Amy Engels is a licensed cosmetologist. It was unclear what Randall Engels did for a living, but he previously served on the Dundee Budget Committee and ran unsuccessfully for city council. The Newberg Graphic newspaper reported he was a former owner of the Dundee Pizza Co., which is no longer in business.
The bodies were found at the Dundee home in a working-class neighborhood after a caller told police about an alarming post on a social network.
A post Wednesday on the Facebook page for a person identifying himself as Randall Engels of 
Dundee reads: "If she's gone i can't go on."
A March 1 post on the same Facebook page reads: "Well Amy, tomorrow will mark 16 years together and our 14th wedding anniversary. I love you more now than ever. You are the only life decision that I never second guess. How did it go by so quickly? I'm easily in for another 16. Thank you for all you do for me."
It could not be immediately confirmed that the writer of the posts was the man police say killed his wife and children. The Facebook page shows that Randall Engels is originally from Puyallup, Wash.
The family had lived for several years in Dundee, a Willamette Valley town known for weekend and holiday traffic bound for the vineyards and tasting rooms of the region.
Neighbors who would speak to journalists knew little about the family.
Outside the Engels home Thursday sat two vehicles — the husband's pickup and the wife's SUV, according to the divorce filing.
Neighbor Kelley Wood said there was little chance that gunfire would have been noticed Wednesday, given the presence of a nearby gun club, the percussive devices used in the vineyards to scare off deer, and the holiday fireworks. On Thursday morning, the remains of fireworks littered an intersection near the family's home.
"There were a lot of noises that could have sounded like gunshots," Wood said.
Joe Endicott, an 18-year resident, didn't know how many years the Engelses had lived there, but he said their tenure was longer than most residents there. Court record states show the children had lived in the house from birth until April 23.
"It's sad, very sad, something that shouldn't have happened," Endicott said. "If you got a problem, you don't take it out on your family. That's stupid."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
It is more about the different laws than common sense. Since my encounter with Judge Tichenor. I have found that our court system is very complex and confusing. In criminal court you are innocent until proven guilty and they need to prove your guilty beyond a reasonable doubt , In juvenile court ( our encounter with this judge ) you are guilty until proven innocent, and they need a preponderance of evidence to rule against you.The judge makes the establishment as to whether it is a preponderance or not. Now apparently in circuit court divorce cases you need something established to to get a dangerous person to stay away from you. In the last two it is the judge that makes the decision not a jury. In our custody case Judge Tichenor's ruling was absurd. I hope that the relatives of Amy and the children do what ever they can to ensure that this judges decisions are forever looked at and reviewed.
Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor, I hope you can live with yourself.....
I hope the judge sleeps well at night. You can't seem to get anything done until someone actually hurts someone. Great system. I hope the judge can find a way to live with themselves.
The judge should be fired!!!
This is all too common in many households. i agree with the posting of Rite H. Run women run..... Take your beautiful babies and get the hell out!!!! Some men are pigs and deserve nothing but hell.... I am so sorry for the loss of this beautiful lady and her 2 adorable children.
 @allsevenofus Um, you do realize some women are pigs as well.....like Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Andrea Yates.
The court decision of.......A handwritten decision read, "Denied â danger not established." It was signed by Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor.
May NOW be revised maybe just maybe Â
Judge Tichneor is a complete joke.... he is senile at best and has made mutiple errors in his decisions, he must go soon or this will continue.... he also makes bad decisions in circuit court, generally siding with his opinion not the law. This is a very sad situationand i'd like to see the family personally file with the Oregon Attorney's Board. Probably can sue but it's impossible to replace Amy and children.Â
POS coward.
Anyone who would even think about doing this is a horrible coward of the lowest form.
And Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor, you may be a fine judge for all I know, but I hope you and others learn well from this tragedy.Â
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Makes me sick to my stomach how backwards our just "us" system is. They force no contact orders on the innocent because some judge doesn't want his name in the news. (just in case). And this dear woman ASKS for one, is denied and pays with her life and those of her children. Un-fricking-believable.Â
Any women who read this and realizes they are in a situation that could become violent like this - understand it can escalate from verbal abuse, then threats and more threats. Leave. Leave now and get far enough away he can't or won't come after you too easily.  Don't tell anyone where you are going. Don't let him know who helped you. A restraining order is just a piece of paper - yes, they can be arrested, but it is no defense against a man with a gun bent on hurting you and the children. Set up a safe haven in advance of making any pronouncements about a divorce or separation. Have a plan. Furniture, houses, cars - leave what you have to behind. These things can be replaced. I know I have done it. This is tragic. These types of murder suicides happen several times a year - - - much too often - even once is too often. RIP
I have a photograph I think the judge will see. It establishes danger.
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The entire neighborhood was in danger, as were all of her friends and anybody who tried to help her. If she had run to the neighbors or friends for help there's every reason to believe that he would have done this to them as well, except for one fact:
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He was a coward. A total, complete waste of human skin. He lacked the courage to look real men and women in the eye and tell them he was upset, so he did this to his wife and kids and then sent a Facebook post to prove his utter lack of manhood. That's all anybody really needs to know about him. I hope they bury him in excrement.
Judges make sure the people before them are held accountable for their decision & behavior at all times, but judges are never held accountable for theirs.
Denied â danger not established." It was signed by Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor Here we go again where the judge made the women and children the victims.
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This is another case where the judge does not like women. He needs to be removed from the bench.
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I hope Nancy Grace gets wind of this and puts the judge's name out there for everyone to hear about.
 @Leinenkugle's protective orders can not stop bullets. The order is useless. Blaming the Judge, doesn't fix what happened, nor do I believe that is he had approved it, it would have stopped this either.
 @Owt_Raged  @Leinenkugle's Owt..
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I needed to hear that. Thanks.
 @Dienekes4160 Sometimes, we are faced with situations we can not change or control. I believe this was one of them. There are no "If only's" in this case.
Hey Judge Cal Tichenor, has the danger been established NOW?!
I sure wish judges could be sued for horrible judgement
And the Yamhill County Judge will not lose a wink of sleep!
Why do these nut jobs always have to take people out? Why not just leave.
@Rob C Because they're selfish basterds.
 @catherine.henry  @Rob You are correct catherine, my sister was killed by her husband before he killed himself.  He only did that because she had stopped him a week before so when he tried again he made sure she wasn't able to stop him.  They only think of themselves and their own problems not realizing the chaos and pain they leave behind for the rest to clean up and deal with.