'Controlling' Ohio mom HID eviction from family before massacre, relatives ... trends now
An Ohio Mom who massacred her family in a horrific murder-suicide had been hiding their impending eviction from her family for months, relatives have revealed.
Theresa Cain shot her thrash metal singer husband Steven, 50, son Ethan, 13, and father William Felton, 74, when eviction officers arrived at their family home on February 27. Her daughter Samantha, 20, remains in critical condition in hospital.
Devastated family members revealed to DailyMail.com that they had 'no idea' the family were facing financial ruin, but said 'controlling' Theresa 'must have been spending the money elsewhere' and planned the tragedy to 'save face'.
Steven's cousin Donna Blackstone added that the murders may not have been as spur-of-the-moment as first believed - revealing Theresa had called her son's school that morning to tell them Ethan wouldn't be in school that day.
Sheriff's deputies said she had privately agreed to vacate their Ohio Township home that day, unaware that her family were left in the dark.
Theresa Cain, pictured, carried out the horrific murder-suicide after being confronted with eviction papers
Steven Cain, pictured, was shot dead alongside three other members of his family. The family had recently purchased a new dog, which a relative says may have been bought for Theresa as she was 'in a funk'
Steven's cousin Donna Blackstone, pictured, said the tragedy was a 'complete shock'
Steven's sister Wanda Garrison, left, added that the family's financial situation is a mystery as he 'worked his tail off to provide for them'
The horror shooting unfolded when deputies from the Clermont County Sheriff's Office arrived to serve eviction papers at around 9:40am.
Theresa greeted the deputies on the outdoor patio, who were unaware that Steven had already been shot dead in the family basement around 30 minutes before.
She then rushed inside, and deputies heard a muffled voice cry out 'No, no, no, no', before multiple gunshots rang out. They later found the rest of the family massacred on the second floor, including Theresa who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
While their financial troubles have been indicated as the motive, family members said their situation is a mystery, as Steven 'worked his tail off to provide for them,' according to Steven's sister, Wanda Garrison.
Steven was the lead singer of heavy metal band Critical Khaos, and also authored 13 books while working as a safety and environmental manager for a Cincinnati R&D facility.
'Theresa was spending the money somewhere else,' Wanda claimed. 'She didn't work. I know she was responsible for making sure the bills got paid.'
Details of their turbulent family life indicated the 'normal, typical family' were quietly struggling in the lead up to the tragedy.
While they had recently bought a new Golden Retriever puppy, Wanda, who had not seen the family in person for almost a decade, said she had heard Samantha bought the dog for her mother 'because she was in a funk'.
She added that the rest of their relatives, from Georgia, had not seen the Cain's for a number of years because Theresa shut them off, going as far as to prevent Samanta, 20, from obtaining her drivers' license.
'After they moved to Philadelphia, and then to Ohio, when Samantha was six, she really alienated them from the rest of the family,' said Steven's cousin Donna.
'No one knew (about the eviction) except her. Steven made the money, she stayed at home and managed it. But she didn't know how to save face about how the bills weren't being paid. Steven was unaware, he didn't know until the very last minute.'
'She was very inward, not personable, quite difficult. When you spoke face-to-face with her, there wasn't ever a lot of conversation. She really kept to herself, kept details to herself, was very introverted.'
Relatives said the Cain's, including children Samantha and Ethan, pictured, seemed to be a 'normal, typical' family prior to the tragedy
The family's 20-year-old daughter Samantha, pictured, was the only survivor of the massacre
13-year-old Ethan Cain was also killed in the horror shooting, and his school has described him as 'a nice, polite young man'
Steven, left, was the first to be shot in the family tragedy, and his daughter Samantha, right, remains in critical condition
Steven had fronted heavy metal band Critical Khaos since October 2022. He also authored 13 books and worked as a safety and environmental manager for a Cincinnati R&D facility
Steven's sister, Wanda Garrison, added that Theresa drove her and her brother apart, including making him move north to be closer to her own family and 'isolated' him.
'She was always an outsider in the family,' she added. 'She was very strict with the kids, always telling them who to be friends with. Samantha couldn't even get a drivers' license.'
On the day of the tragedy, Donna said she believes Theresa's harrowing decision to slaughter her family was not 'spur of the moment'.
'Theresa called the school that morning and told them than Ethan wouldn't be going into school that day,' she said.
'She claimed he was sick - but it didn't seem to be very spur of the moment. She had called ahead and knew when the service workers were coming with the eviction papers. I don't think Steven knew it was coming. She
