(JTA) — Two South Florida teenagers were killed in what police believe is a murder-suicide perpetrated by their mother.
Police say Alexander Berman, 16, and his sister, Jacqueline, 15, were shot and killed early Monday morning in their West Palm Beach home by their mother, Jennifer Berman, who then turned the gun on herself.
Jennifer Berman reportedly sent text messages early Monday morning to her ex-husband, Richard, and a cousin that she was going to kill the children and herself. Richard Berman rushed to the home and found the bodies.
Police interviewed Richard Berman, a prominent realtor, and do not believe he is a suspect.
The Bermans divorced last month, according to the Palm Beach Post. Richard Berman filed for divorce on Feb. 13, 2008, but it was never finalized. Jennifer Berman filed on Aug. 24, 2012, and a year later asked a judge to evict her husband from the family home due to emotional abuse and verbal fighting, the newspaper reported.
The children reportedly divided their time evenly between the two parents. They spent Christmas with their mother and Hanukkah with their father.
Classmates of Alexander and Jacqueline at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach remembered the teens on Tuesday by wearing white, according to the NBC television affiliate in South Florida. The Berman children reportedly were talented musicians.
