Mom Started Fundraiser Day Before Young Sons' Murder-Suicide

The mother of three young boys shot in an apparent murder-suicide that erupted following an argument over food was striving to provide a better life for her children.

“My life could be an award winning book,” Helen Campochairo wrote on her gofundme campaign page. “Needless to say, me and my boys have had to start over from uncontrolled circumstances too many times.”

Campochairo’s campaign to earn enough money for a deposit on a new place that would serve the family better than its Hudson mobile home began Tuesday. By Wednesday evening, two of her four sons were dead.

The turn of events occurred around dinnertime when three of the boys, ages 6, 12 and 16, were home alone. A dispute over food prompted 12-year-old Kevin Pimentel to pick up a gun, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.

See Also:

• Community Rocked by 2 Young Brothers’ Deaths
• Young Brothers’ Fight Over Food Turned Deadly, Deputies Say

Kevin shot and killed Brady Pimentel, 6, before turning the gun on his older brother Trevor, 16, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.

Kevin then shot himself, taking his own life, deputies said.

Trevor suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive. The oldest brother, an 18-year-old, was not at home at the time and has not been identified by deputies.

By Thursday, Hudson Elementary and Middle schools, where Brady and Kevin attended classes, had crisis teams on site to help students cope with the news of their classmates’ deaths. Students in Kevin’s gifted seventh-grade classes created cards to help them process their feelings. At Fox Hollow Elementary School, where two of the boys once attended, some teachers were so stricken by the news they went home for the day, the school district said.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco described Campochiaro, 38, as a hard-working single mom.

“They absolutely need your prayers,” Nocco said.

Campochiaro’s gofundme page describes a struggle to work seven days a week to make ends meet and the need to move out of her Hudson home.

“I work as much as I can,” she wrote. “I regretfully feel like I never see my boys. They are so good and so understanding. They do more than their share at home and for me. Least I can do is put them in a good home.”

As of Friday morning, Campochiaro’s campaign to pull together enough money to move had earned $4,040. She initially asked for $1,400 to cover deposits on “a home … comfort for my boys.”

The investigation into the shooting continues with Nocco describing the scene as “brutal. Our deputies will live with scars. It’s unbelievable how deep those scars are they have to live with,” The Tampa Tribune quoted him as saying.

To learn more about the family’s gofundme campaign, follow the links below.

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