81-year-old Arapahoe County man accused of killing wife and daughter with axe

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KRDO) -- An 81-year-old Arapahoe County man is accused of killing his wife and adult daughter with an axe this past weekend.

According to our news partners in Denver, the arrest affidavit for the case states the man, identified as Reginald Maclarer, said he killed his family members because he did not want them to become homeless after he lost his job.

On Saturday evening, the Englewood Police Department received a call from Maclaren and he said his wife and adult daughter had been murdered and that he believed he knew the person who killed them. Officers responded to his apartment at 901 Englewood Pkwy. and found Maclaren and the bodies of the two victims that were inside large trash cans on the floor of the living room/kitchen area, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit went on to say that Maclaren told police he had recently been terminated from his job and he frequently dealt with people who were experiencing homelessness. He said he knew "what a miserable life that was" and didn't want his family to go through that.

According to our news partners, Maclaren told investigators he had no money left to pay rent and began planning to kill his family. He also described striking his wife and daughter in their heads with an ax as they sat on the couch Saturday morning. He said both were knocked unconscious and that he struck each of them two more times and then placed their bodies in the trash cans. He said he was unable to lift the cans to move them outside the apartment, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also stated that Maclaren told police that he "does not regret" killing his family because he "knows they are in a better place."

Maclaren is expected in court sometime this week.