Neighbors in the cul-de-sac on Jack London Court in Pittsburg all know one another and say they have a close-knit community. However, one neighbor says many people on their block have been hard hit by the economy and police say that's why this man killed himself and his family.
Neighbor Cecilia Abubo is still in disbelief over the murder-suicide. She says 39-year-old Jason Aube, his wife Cynthia, and her elderly parents lived inside the home where these crimes happened.
"It's quite shocking. It's unbelievable that he did that because I know the wife and the in-laws are nice people," said Abubo.
Pittsburg police say Jason Aube called 911 about 4 a.m. Thursday morning and told a dispatcher he had hurt his family and was about to hurt himself.
Neighbors were put on lockdown as SWAT team members spent five hours trying to coax him to surrender. He never responded so they had to force their way inside; they say Cynthia and her parents were found shot to death in a bedroom and Jason had shot himself in the head.
"He made a posting on his Facebook account, that we're looking into now, and left a message to some family members and friends, indicative of a suicide note, indicating the financial concerns as well as losing his house," said Pittsburg Police Lt. Ron Raman.
ABC7 learned that Jason was distraught over losing his job as a sales executive for a home improvement company in Hayward one month ago. He was struggling to find another home.
His former boss Peter, who did not want to be shown on camera, told ABC7 "One thing I'm surprised is I remember he mentioned his wife a couple of times and it seems they love each other, so it makes me even more shocked."
The Aube couple did not have any children and neither Jason or any of his family members who lived in the home had a criminal past. Police say they've never been called to the home prior to this incident. Police also say they've never seen a murder-suicide in their city involving so many victims.
