Man Kills His Family In Weston, Only Survivor Is His Son

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- As his life unravelled over money trouble and fears that he and his family would be deported back to Ecuador, Pedro Maldonado became despondent and irrational.

While they slept, he killed his wife and 17-year old son with a crossbow and arrows inside their rented Weston town home then he drove nearly 500 miles to Tallahassee where inside his hotel room, he tried 'unsuccessfully' to kill his other son, a student at Florida State University. Finally, he took his own life.

Before Maldonado took his own life he made a call to a close friend in Miami. That friend drove to the Broward Sheriff's Office Headquarters and helped investigators fill in some of the missing pieces to this tragic puzzle.

Father Ed Prendergast knew the Maldonado family for ten years.

They attended mass weekly at Saint Bonaventure Catholic Church in Davie where he said parishioners who knew the family are devastated.

"We're sad about what happened,"said Fr. Prendergast. "There's a great deal of pain and hurt there but we have to think of Jose, his whole family is gone in seconds,"

Jose Maldonado, 21, the only survivor in this tragedy has expressed some of what he's going through in a statement on Facebook which read, "Guys stop posting about me.  All this makes it seem like I'm a sob story…I really am fine.  I'm not scared of anything.  I'll always love my family and I appreciate all the people that have kind things to say."

Eduardo Rivadeneneira with the Ecuadorian Consulate in Miami said he has been in contact with Jose. The consulate is helping to arrange to send the bodies of Monica, Pedro Senior and Junior Maldonado back to Ecuador for burial.

He is going to try to help Jose Maldonado remain in the United States.

While Pedro Maldonado Senior appeared to have lost all hope those who know his surviving son, say they hope their support will help him cope with his unimaginable loss.