#Texas Family Murders Explained In Suicide Note That Criticizes US Gun Laws

A horrifying family murder spree made national headlines last week, and now there is more of an explanation behind it…

Before killing himself and his entire family, a young man detailed the twisted thinking behind his deadly decision in an unsettling Instagram post. Police believe 19-year-old Farhan Towhid and his 21-year-old brother Tanvir killed Farahn’s twin sister Farbin, their parents Iren and Towhidul Islam, and their grandmother Altafun Nessa, before killing themselves in a murder-suicide pact after years of battling depression. On Monday, detectives confirmed that Farhan posted a suicide note online prior to the massacre, in which he pointed out the reasons why he and Tanvir carried out the act.

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In the note, which was widely shared online before the account was disabled, the Texas teen detailed four “very important issues” he had been going through: an unending battle with depression, his belief of people not really understanding what the mental illness is, The Office continuing after Michael Scott left, and guns in the US being absurdly easy to obtain. The note began:

“Hey everyone. I killed myself and my family.”

The teen then tried to explain his demons, recounting the exact date he started cutting himself and voiced frustration that those who knew about his depression would merely offer to help but, he felt, not really mean it, since he believed dealing with someone in such a condition is “a lot of work.” He added:

“The only people who really stick around are those who are obligated to.”

When Farhan finally told his father about his situation, he said he “worked his ass off trying to help,” getting him diagnosed, medicated, and enrolling him in a teen mental health camp. For a while, things were starting to look up: the teen lost weight, gained friends, “became f**king cool,” found his talents in computer programming, and “somehow managed to get a girlfriend who was far out of my league.” Yet while his life was seemingly “perfect,” he still had to deal with his depression every day. The teen noted that doubling his medication worked for a while, but it was only temporary. He lamented:

“Every solution was always temporary.”

After revealing his thoughts to his suite-mate at college, the teen said he was kicked out of the dorm. He dropped out of school shortly afterwards, and he and his brother spent a lot of time watching TV shows. At this point, the note turned into a passionate rant about how The Office should have ended when Steve Carrell’s character left.

He wrote:

“This leads me to my third major point: The Office should’ve ended when Michael left… We kept watching until February 21, 2021. That’s the day my older brother came into my room with a proposition: if we can’t fix everything in a year, we’ll kill ourselves and our family.”

Just awful. They both must have been in such serious pain to come to that decision.

The teen went on to explain his warped logic, sharing:

“Allow me to explain. Anyone who knew me knew that I operate on pure logic. Every decision I make is based on a pros-cons list, including the one to kill my family.”

He then postulated that if happiness was the meaning of life, there was no point in living if one cannot be happy. (We just want to note here for anyone reading this and thinking along similar lines: Things DO change, and you CAN find hope. You ARE loved. Happiness itself is not necessarily the meaning of life, because nobody is happy 24/7.)

As for why he didn’t just take his own life, Farhan said he wanted to spare his family a lifetime of misery and guilt due to his suicide. He wrote:

“I know I said I operate on logic, but the one emotional aspect of my life is the only reason I’m here. I love my family. I genuinely do. And that’s exactly why I decided to kill them.”

Wow.

We think it goes without saying that was incredibly flawed thinking; depression warps so much.

And while the brothers originally planned to wait a year for things to get better, they soon believed there was no point in even trying — so they instead decided to “wait a month.” He elaborated:

“The plan was simple. We get two guns, I take one and shoot my sister and grandma, while my brother kills our parents with the other. Then we take ourselves out… I would say that the only hard part of the plan was getting the guns, but that would be a lie.”

He then shared his final point, that “Gun control in the US is a joke.” Farhan explained that all his brother had to do was go to the gun store, say something about home defense, and sign some forms. Obtaining a firearm was that easy.

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When asked if he had any mental health issues, Farhan’s brother simply said “no” — even though he obviously did and was even on medication. The teen mused:

“Literally anyone can get a gun if they haven’t been officially diagnosed. Thanks for making the process so easy.”

Before carrying out the act, Farhan said he got rid of all his money. He donated to multiple GoFundMe campaigns and blasted the company for listing the already well-funded campaigns at the top. He concluded:

“And now we’re here. Well I guess my family and I aren’t, but you get the point.”

Such a complete and utter tragedy. It’s so sad to know that these boys felt that their battle with depression was just too overwhelming. If there was more readily accessible mental health resources, maybe this could have been prevented — which is why we have to keep having dialogues about mental wellness and get rid of the stigma that comes with seeking attention for our mental health.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).