Steven Sueppel was a former executive of Hills Bank and Trust Company

Hills Bank and Trust Company

Hills Bank and Trust Company is a bank based in Hills, Iowa, U.S.A., with 14 offices in three eastern Iowa counties, with more than 425 employees and total assets approaching $2 billion. While still headquartered in a town of fewer than 700 people, Hills Bank is one of the largest independent banks...

 and resident of Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He was charged with stealing $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

559,040 from the bank over a period of several years, but pleaded not guilty to embezzlement

Embezzlement

Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....

 and money laundering

Money laundering

Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

 on February 20, 2008. On the evening before or morning of his own death, Sueppel murdered his wife and four children (ages 3, 5, 7, and 10).

Early life and marriage

Sueppel was born on August 13, 1965, the son of William and Patricia Tierney Sueppel. He graduated from Regina High School

Regina High School (Iowa)

Regina High School is the only Catholic K-12 Education Center in Iowa City, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. It currently houses 450+ in the elementary, and 400+ in the Junior/Senior High School...

 and the University of Northern Iowa

University of Northern Iowa

The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...

. The Sueppel family were members of St. Mary's Catholic Church

St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport located at 220 E. Jefferson St. in Iowa City, Iowa. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Church and Rectory. The parish's first rectory, which is now a private home, is also listed on the NRHP as...

. Sueppel married Sheryl Kesterson there on June 13, 1990. After their marriage, the couple adopted four South Korean

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 children and had them baptized at St. Mary's.

Details of murder

According to police, on the night of March 23 or the morning of March 24, 2008, Sueppel bludgeoned his wife Sheryl to death and then took the four children to the garage and attempted to kill them (and himself) by carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...

. When this failed, he resorted to a baseball bat and killed the children before driving to nearby City Park where he attempted to drown himself. When this in turn failed, he then called 911, requested that rescue personnel be sent to his home, and then drove his van into a concrete abutment on Interstate 80

Interstate 80

Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...

. He died of the combination of injuries suffered in the collision along with the resulting fire. His charred remains was burned beyond recognition and had to be identified using dental records.

Aftermath

In the days after, there was some controversy over the inclusion of Sueppel in the Catholic funeral for his wife and children. Factoring in were differing accounts of possible mental illness both independent of and related to Sueppel committing familicide

Familicide

A familicide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which at least one spouse and one or more children are killed; or in which a parent or parents and possibly other relatives such as siblings and grandparents are killed. In some cases all of the family members' lives are taken...

. In August 2008, Hills Bank and Trust filed court documents demanding payment from Sueppel's estate for the allegedly embezzled funds and for $32,673 in outstanding loans.