The apparent murder-suicide of a wealthy fashion executive couple was triggered by a mental crisis brought on due to devastating financial ruin, their relative has claimed.
Bryan Walker, 64, and his wife of more than 30 years, Michelle Min, 63, were found dead on Friday on a terrace at their $1.2 million home in the hills near UC Berkeley in California.
Min’s brother, Paul Min, 58, said the couple’s marriage had not been in trouble but that Walker lost a fortune through risky financial bets.
He claimed Walker had secretly borrowed against properties and made increasingly dangerous investments that left him believing he had blown well over $100 million.
The catastrophic losses allegedly sent Walker into a profound psychological spiral in the weeks before the couple died.
‘He just curled up into a ball, and he was just sobbing like a baby for weeks on end,’ Paul told The California Post. ‘He was just completely useless.’
The family became so concerned about Walker’s deteriorating state that they feared he was suicidal and ultimately made plans to have him institutionalized, according to Paul.
But on the morning Walker was allegedly due to be admitted, Paul claims the crisis ended in bloodshed.
Bryan Walker, 64, and his wife Michelle Min, 63, were found shot dead at their $1.2 million California home on Friday
Walker and Min owned the women’s fashion company Bryn Walker, with Min taking a leading role in running the successful California-based business. The Berkeley location is pictured
Shortly before the shooting, Walker allegedly sent a chilling message to a friend who lived nearby which read, ‘Call 911!’
The friend immediately raced toward the house but did not arrive in time before gunshots rang out.
Paul believes Walker had already prepared a firearm downstairs while Michelle went onto the patio with the couple’s small dog, Pip.
He claims Walker then went upstairs and shot his wife before turning the weapon on himself.
Oakland police have not formally determined that the deaths were a murder-suicide, and investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances. Officers recovered one firearm from the home.
Surveillance footage reviewed by CBS News captured the terrifying final moments.
A gunshot could be heard at approximately 10.43am on Friday, followed by the sound of a man crying and screaming in what the outlet described as a ‘very dramatic’ scene.
A second shot was heard a short time later. Then, according to CBS, ‘it was dead quiet.’
The $1.2 million California home where fashion boss Bryan Walker and his wife Michelle Min were found shot dead. Police are investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide
The deaths brought a horrific end to a marriage that Paul said had endured for more than three decades.
The couple ran women’s fashion company Bryn Walker, although Paul said his sister controlled the business while her husband had not worked for some time.
Walker was allowed to ‘play’ with some of their money, according to Paul, but his brother-in-law claims the investments spiraled out of control.
Walker allegedly borrowed against family properties without their knowledge and gambled on risky options and leveraged positions.
By mid-September, Paul said Walker believed the damage exceeded $100 million.
‘Imagine that happening to you? You would collapse,’ Paul said. ‘Your spouse lied to you and lost over $100 million and you might be out on the streets.
‘You might go from being one of the wealthiest people in the country to being homeless because your husband lied to you and wagered everything on crazy bets.’
Min refused to give up, according to Paul, who said she devoted herself to caring for her husband as he deteriorated, feeding and comforting him while desperately trying to convince him that their situation could be repaired.
She even allegedly hired what Paul described as a ‘hotshot’ Chicago accountant to untangle their finances.
Police descended on the couple’s home in the hills near UC Berkeley after Walker and Min were found dead on Friday morning
The accountant concluded that the couple’s predicament was not as disastrous as Walker feared.
But Paul said his brother-in-law’s mental state had already deteriorated drastically.
Walker ‘had basically gone insane,’ the family claimed.
Relatives also took the precaution of hiding the family’s firearms because of concerns that Walker could hurt himself.
But Paul believes Walker managed to retrieve a gun and concealed it in a downstairs bedroom, where he loaded it before the shooting.
The family was preparing to have him institutionalized after their other attempts to get him help had failed, Paul said.
Investigators also discovered what Paul characterized as a form of suicide note at the property.
It contained passcodes for both Walker’s and Michelle’s phones, which Paul believes were left so relatives could access them and sort out the couple’s affairs.
Paul said his sister remained devoted to Walker even after discovering the scale of his alleged financial decisions and is devastated that her husband felt she had to die alongside him.
Police secure the scene after Michelle Min and Bryan Walker were found fatally shot at their Berkeley Hills home on Friday morning
‘Why take our beautiful sister?’ Paul asked. ‘Why not just kill yourself?’
‘My sister was utterly devoted to Bryan to the very end, and he shot her.
‘She didn’t say anything harsh to him. She just said, “Bryan, you’ve been sick. It’s my fault, I should have known better. I should have known you were in a crisis.”
‘She blamed herself. That’s the kind of person she was.’
Paul believes Walker may have acted after discovering that relatives planned to have him institutionalized, although he acknowledged that even the family does not know precisely what happened or why.
‘I think he was just too weak to go by himself,’ Paul said. ‘I used to think of him as a strong person, but I’d never seen him tested. When he lost his money, I kept trying to tell him, like, “It’s just money.”‘
Paul now plans to take over the family’s fashion business while relatives attempt to unravel what he described as the ‘complete mess’ left behind.
Oakland police are leading the investigation and have not ruled out murder-suicide. The Daily Mail has contacted the force for comment.
