Felisha Ann Matthews, a 31-year-old woman from Plainville, Connecticut, was killed on March 27, 2026, in what police described as a domestic murder-suicide that also took the lives of her two daughters. The tragedy unfolded inside the family’s home on Milford Street, where Felisha lived with her boyfriend, 27-year-old Patrick J. King, her 12-year-old daughter Mileena Matthews, and her 4-year-old daughter Ava King.
Ava was King’s daughter, while Mileena was Felisha’s daughter from a previous relationship.
Police said the first alarm came shortly before 4 p.m. when King’s sister called 911 after receiving a disturbing phone call from him. According to authorities, King told his sister that he had shot his girlfriend and their 4-year-old daughter and that he planned to kill himself. Officers rushed to the home, shut down the area around Milford Street, and established a perimeter while trying to make contact with King, who was still believed to be inside.
For hours, the quiet Plainville neighborhood became the scene of a tense standoff. Police negotiators made contact with King and tried to persuade him to come out of the house. A regional SWAT response was called in, and officers used drones and other tactics as they attempted to resolve the situation without any more loss of life. After negotiations failed, police deployed pepper gas into the residence. Soon after, King shot himself. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
When officers entered the home, they found Felisha, Mileena, and Ava dead inside. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined that all three victims died from gunshot wounds and ruled their deaths homicides. King’s death was also caused by a gunshot wound, but it was ruled a suicide. Police said the firearm believed to have been used in the killings appeared to be legally registered to King, and investigators also found several other weapons in the home.
Felisha was remembered by loved ones as vibrant, free-spirited, and deeply devoted to her children. Friends and neighbors described her daughters as joyful and beloved, and a memorial of flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, and lights grew near the Milford Street home in the days after the killings. Mileena was a student at the Middle School of Plainville, and the school district made grief support available to students and staff as the community struggled to absorb the loss.
Investigators identified Patrick J. King as the sole suspect in the killings. Because King died by suicide during the standoff, there were no arrests, charges, trial, or conviction. Police said the motive remained under investigation, and officials noted that the family had reportedly moved into the Plainville home only months earlier. The case left the town searching for answers after a mother and two young girls were killed in a sudden act of violence inside what should have been their safest place.
