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N.J.mother dies; she shot self, three children, killing two

A Burlington County woman who authorities said shot her three children and then herself died Sunday at Cooper University Hospital, three days after state police converged on the horrific scene in her Tabernacle home.

Police respond to a home in Tabernacle, Burlington County. (Michael Boren / Inquirer staff)
Police respond to a home in Tabernacle, Burlington County. (Michael Boren / Inquirer staff)Read more

A Burlington County woman who authorities said shot her three children and then herself died Sunday at Cooper University Hospital, three days after state police converged on the horrific scene in her Tabernacle home.

Jeaninne LePage, 44, had been in extremely critical condition with a self-inflicted wound to the head, authorities said.

Her 11-year-old son, Alexander Harriman, the sole survivor of the shooting, remains in critical condition at Cooper.

The other children, Nadia Harriman, 8, and Nicholas Harriman, 14, were killed Thursday in LePage's home in Tabernacle, a community of nearly 7,000 residents.

Authorities said LePage shot each child in the head with a revolver - muffling the blasts with a pillow - and then shot herself. A family member discovered LePage and her children in LePage's bed around 9:15 a.m. Thursday.

Residents have held several vigils for the family, including one Sunday night in front of Town Hall. They were encouraged to wear white ribbons in memory of the victims.

State police Capt. Stephen Jones said Friday police may never know LePage's motive.

Some residents have cited possible financial difficulties. At the local general store, four checks LePage wrote totaling about $400 bounced in late September and early October.

Five other people lived in

LePage's home, including her mother, sister, and her sister's husband and two children. No one heard the shots, police said.

Authorities said the shooting happened between 5 and 9 a.m. Thursday. The revolver had been in the family for some time; its original owner is no longer alive, police said.

Officers who responded to the home were offered counseling.

"When they got there, they found a really horrific scene," Jones said last week.

Nicholas was a freshman at Seneca High School. Nadia attended Tabernacle Elementary School, as does Alexander.