On February 28, 2022, David Mora (also known as David Fidel Mora Rojas), age 39, shot and killed his three daughters — Samia (13), Samantha (10), and Samarah (9) Mora Gutierrez — along with their court-appointed chaperone Nathaniel Kong (59) during a supervised visit at The Church in Sacramento in the Arden Arcade area. Mora then turned the gun on himself. The children's mother, Ileana Gutierrez, had obtained a five-year domestic violence restraining order against Mora, which prohibited him from possessing firearms and limited him to supervised visits of up to four hours per week. Mora used an illegally obtained AR-15-style rifle. He had a documented history of domestic violence including choking, threats to kill, and mental instability, and had been psychiatrically hospitalized the prior year. Just five days before the shooting, he had been arrested in Merced County for DUI and battery on a police officer but was released from jail.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
The children were killed by gunshot. The LA Times article states: "Law enforcement sources said he used an illegally obtained AR-15-style rifle in the shooting." The CBS News article describes the incident as a shooting at a Sacramento church.
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The children were shot to death by their father. The CBS News article states that David Mora "shot his three daughters and their chaperone to death." The Sacramento Bee article states "David Mora shot Samia, Samantha, and Samarah Gutierrez, ages 13, 10 and 9, during a supervised visit."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
The father killed his three daughters, the chaperone, and then himself. The CBS News article states he "shot his three daughters and their chaperone to death before turning the gun on himself." The LA Times article confirms: "He then took his own life, officials said."
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
David Mora was the biological father of the three girls he killed. The CBS News article states he "shot his three daughters," and the LA Times article refers to the victims as "the couple's three children." The Sacramento Bee article states "David Mora shot Samia, Samantha, and Samarah Gutierrez" and describes them as "daughters who were killed by their father."
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Domestic violence is a central theme of all three documents. The LA Times article states the mother "said in court documents that Mora had been abusive for a decade and had choked her, pushed her, thrown things at her and threatened to kill her." The CBS News article quotes the restraining order filing: "He threatened to kill me if he ever caught me cheating. ... He has choked me in the past." The Sacramento Bee article notes she "had been granted a final restraining order against her ex by a judge who believed her story that Mora had choked her and threatened to kill her."
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple documents reference the father's mental health. The CBS News article states that a family friend described him as "mentally ill" and that his mother/girlfriend said "he was hospitalized for a week in April after 'expressing a desire to commit suicide.'" The LA Times article states he "became aggressive and threatened suicide" and that "Police admitted Mora for a weeklong psychiatric hold." The court order referenced his "mental instability," as noted in the LA Times article.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The father was arrested on February 22, 2022 — six days before the fatal shooting on February 28, 2022 — on charges unrelated to the children's deaths. The LA Times article states: "On Feb. 22, the California Highway Patrol arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, battery on a police officer and resisting arrest in the Los Banos area." The CBS News article confirms: "He was drunk and while they were arresting him - or trying to - he decided he wanted to fight and ended up with felony charges because he assaulted a CHP officer, causing injuries."
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The CBS News article describes the father as "battling drug abuse" per a family friend, Oscar Maldonado. The LA Times article reports he was arrested for "driving under the influence," and the CBS News article states "He was drunk." These indicate substance use by the parent.
Notable Details
Several systemic issues are explicitly described across the documents. First, the father obtained an AR-15-style rifle illegally despite a court order banning him from possessing firearms; the LA Times article quotes a domestic violence advocate saying: "It is left to an honor system with a person who has already hurt or threatened a partner being relied upon to abide by the law. It is a flawed system." Second, the father was arrested just five days before the killings for DUI and battery on a police officer but was released from jail, with no apparent notification to parties involved in the custody/restraining order case. Third, the Sacramento Bee article reports that the Center for Judicial Excellence found "between 2008 and 2022, at least 851 children across the U.S. were murdered while their families were involved in family court cases" and that of 85 children slain in California, "at least 25 died after authority figures ignored or overlooked abuse allegations." Fourth, research by George Washington University law professor Joan Meier is cited showing that even when judges believed fathers committed intimate partner violence, "mothers still lost custody" in 14% of cases, highlighting systemic bias in family courts. These systemic failures — in firearm enforcement, inter-agency communication, and family court custody decisions — directly contributed to the circumstances of these children's deaths.
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