Orcutt, CA Triple Homicide-Suspect Killed by Police

[Knox]

One of the news stories says another woman lived in the home with the 3 deceased individuals and the murderer; this is the person who called the police. Weirdly, she is described in one report as having “escaped” the house prior to alerting authorities (which suggests she was present at least for some time after the assaults/murders began. In another report, though, she’s said to have just been “returning home” (from some unspecified location) when she discovered the crime scene.
This is speculation only, but I wonder if this woman was in a relationship with either the murderer or his sister (the deceased NM’s Facebook seems to suggest that NM may have had a girlfriend but I could be interpreting her photos/comments inaccurately). If the murderer (or his younger brother) had any issues with LGBTQ people or same-sex relationships (which seems likely based on his social media) OR if this woman was an ex of the murderer, perhaps she might have been one of the intended targets of the assault/murder.

Good speculation realanastasia. I had the same thoughts, but was unsure of NM's relationships also. The living sister CM is in a relationship with a woman. When a family member murders, it's somehow more heartbreaking to me. How could you kill the person who nurtured and raised you, along with a sister you grew up with? Maybe there are unnamed dynamics at the root of the motive? Did the Father's death back in June play a part in this?

The curious piece of the puzzle is who did the brother BM assault prior to these murders and why? I'm still open to the fact he may have played a part in the murders at the house, but had left the scene.

 

[Knox]

The children of Orcutt homicide victim Carlos Echavarria are taking comfort in their father’s happiness in recent weeks, even as they mourn their loss and begin to plan his funeral.

Echavarria was one of three people brutally beaten and stabbed Friday night inside a residence on the 5900 block of Oakhill Drive in the gated community of Oakhill Country Estates.

Echavarria, 63, was in a relationship with Melanie McNabb, 64.

Echavarria, McNabb and her 34-year-old daughter, Nicole McNabb, were killed — allegedly by David Gerald McNabb, 40, before Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies fatally wounded the man they say was armed with a rifle.

Days later, investigators have said they still were trying to determine a motive for the slayings, although speculation has swirled in the community.

Echavarria's family members also have unanswered questions about the killings even as they focus on their dad’s happiness they say was evident in recent conversations.

“Honestly, I’d never heard him be more happy in all my life,” Kenny Echavarria told Noozhawk on Wednesday, adding that his dad had bought Melanie McNabb a ring and intended to ask her to marry him.

The Texas resident recalled thinking his next trip to the Central Coast would be for a wedding — not a funeral.

CA - Triple Homicide in Orcutt, CA

 

[Knox]

Case Information

19CR00097 | People of the State of California vs Brian Charles McNabb


Case Number
19CR00097

Court
Santa Maria - Miller - Criminal

Judicial Officer
Voysey, James K

File Date
01/04/2019

Case Type
Misdemeanor

Case Status
Active

001 PC273.6(a)-M- Violate Court Order To Prevent Domestic Viole 273.6(a) Misdemeanor 12/29/2018
Setting Date
1/4/2019
Disposition Events
01/04/2019 Plea

001
PC273.6(a)-M- Violate Court Order To Prevent Domestic Viole
Not Guilty
Events and Hearings

• 01/02/2019 Media Coverage Request, Filed
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Arraignment on Complaint
  
  Judicial Officer
  Fisher, John S
  
  Hearing Time
  8:30 AM
  
  Result
  Completed/Held
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Complaint, Filed
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Custody Status
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Domestic Violence Filing
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Charge Eligible for Firearms Assessment
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Minute Order, Filed
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Pre-Trial Services: OR/Bail Report, Filed
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Custody Status
  
  
• 01/04/2019 No Time Waiver
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Criminal Protective Order, Filed
  
  Judicial Officer
  Fisher, John S
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Arraignment on Complaint Held
  
  
• 01/04/2019 Arraigned on Complaint - First Plea Entered
  
  
• 01/08/2019 Readiness & Settlement Conference
  
  Judicial Officer
  Voysey, James K
  
  Hearing Time
  8:30 AM
  

 

[Knox]

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office has yet to file formal assault charges against Brian McNabb.

The defendant's older brother, David McNabb, 43, was fatally shot by sheriff's deputies after he barricaded himself, armed with a rifle, inside the Oakhill Estates home where the slayings took place.

On Friday, Brian McNabb made a brief appearance at Santa Maria Superior Court to be arraigned on a misdemeanor count of violating a restraining order, which had been filed against him by a family member who did not live at the Oakhill Estates home. The misdemeanor charge is unrelated to the assault, or any of the slayings, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The complaint alleges that the violation occurred on or between Dec. 29 and Dec. 31, immediately after the killings.

Brian McNabb pleaded not guilty, and will return to court Jan. 8.

His request to be released on his own recognizance was denied by the judge Friday, but Brian McNabb still has the option to post the $10,000 bail.

He has no prior criminal history, according to court records.
Brother of triple homicide suspect charged with restraining order violation

 

[Knox]

McNabb then moved, pointing the rifle in the direction of deputies who perceived a lethal threat, according to Hoover.

Four deputies fired a total of 23 .223 rifle rounds at McNabb, killing him.

McNabb's rifle was later determined to be an unloaded Browning .243 caliber lever-action rifle, which reportedly belonged to his late father, according to Hoover. Due to a felony conviction in 2014, McNabb was prohibited from owning or possessing any firearms.

McNabb's autopsy was completed Thursday, and it was determined he sustained five gunshot wounds. He also was struck twice by less-lethal rounds. The final autopsy is pending toxicology results.

An autopsy was conducted on one of the homicide victims Friday, and two more are scheduled next week to determine the cause and manner of the victims' deaths, according to Hoover.

Family members of victim Carlos Echavarria are remembering the family patriarch as a loving man, father and grandfather. "Carlos Echavarria, my father, will be loved and missed by many. He left this world on December 28th of 2018. We never expected this to happen or even imagined a world without him. Unfortunately, life always has a way of throwing a curve ball."

According to the GoFundMe page, Carlos Echavarria was going to propose to Melanie McNabb before their deaths.

"His love for her was evident and all of us [has] seen it," the page reads. "It wasn't until he and Melanie were reunited in 2018 that we saw a happiness come out of him that we had never seen.

"We loved Melanie and him together, it brought something new and wonderful to our family," the GoFundMe page continued. "We will miss him more than words could ever describe because he was a special part of this family that will be irreplaceable."
Suspect in Orcutt triple homicide died of multiple gunshot wounds

 

[realanastasia]

New reporting: Orcutt murder victims were killed with sledgehammer and kitchen knives, autopsy shows

Nothing I’ve read so far has much info about the 34-year old victim (the sister of the murderer)—anyone else find this to be true? Most of the stories are primarily about the two older victims, and mention Nicole only briefly, so the disparity in coverage is striking. There’s also not much info in MSM about the victims’ other roommate (who called 911). Both of these less-reported-upon women were close in age to the perp; if LE looks into any overlap between their social circles and his, perhaps they might begin to identify possible motives? MOO.

 

[ThorJanus]

This triple homicide happened just up the street from me and has prompted me to think about the McStay family murders. The family was in so much distress and no one realized how unhinged this man was.