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Man killed his wife and 3 children, brought a body to police, authorities say

Shankar Hangud, wearing a personal safety vest, appears in the Placer County Superior Court in Roseville, Calif., on Oct. 16. Officials have identified four people slain in October as the wife and three children of Hangud.
Shankar Hangud, wearing a personal safety vest, appears in the Placer County Superior Court in Roseville, Calif., on Oct. 16. Officials have identified four people slain in October as the wife and three children of Hangud.
(Associated Press)
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A man killed his wife and three children over nearly a week, showing up to a Northern California police station with the body of his oldest son in his car, authorities said.

Placer County officials identified the four victims as Jyothi Shankar, 46; Varum Shankar, 20; Gauri Hangud, 16; and Nischal Hangud, 13, Sacramento news station KCRA-TV reported Tuesday.

They have charged Shankar Hangud, 53, with killing two of them on Oct. 7 and a third the next day at their home in Roseville, northeast of Sacramento.

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They say he killed the older son five days later near the Oregon border and drove to a police station in Mount Shasta the next day with the body.

Investigators previously said they traveled to several places in Northern California before ending up in Mount Shasta.

Shankar Hangud has pleaded not guilty, though prosecutors say he confessed without giving a motive. It’s unclear how the victims died.

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His attorney didn’t immediately respond to voice and email messages seeking comment on the case.

Tax records show Hangud faced an IRS tax lien of $178,000, but his only previous interaction with law enforcement was for speeding in 2016.

Hangud was an unemployed data specialist. His LinkedIn profile shows he had worked for several companies in Sacramento and the Bay Area.

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