LYNDON, Kansas - James Kraig Kahler was convicted in August of murdering his wife, their two daughters, and his wife’s grandmother.
The shooting deaths occurred over Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 in Burlingame, KS. The Kahlers' son was present during the shootings but escaped unscathed.
The Associated Press reports that a psychiatrist had testified that Kahler had been upset with his daughters for siding with their mother, who had instigated a divorce. Karen Kahler had been having an affair with a woman from Texas. Kahler's attorneys said he was unable to control his emotions and had been suffering from a deep depression when the shootings occurred.
James Kahler worked as a senior engineer for the local electric utility system when their family lived in Greenville about 12 years ago.