In a quiet home in Salem, Oregon, the life of 38-year-old Caucasian female Kali Lou Roque came to a tragic end on March 30, 2023. Concerns arose when Kali, a dedicated social worker for the Salem-Keizer School District, failed to respond to text messages on the morning of March 30th. Her sister-in-law had taken one of the Roque's two children for a sleepover the previous night and became worried when she couldn't reach Kali.
Upon arriving at the residence, she found the home secured with no signs of forced entry. After disarming the alarm and entering, she discovered the youngest child sleeping and unharmed. A more gruesome discovery awaited in the guest bedroom, where both Kali and her 37-year-old husband, Juan Roque-Delaguarda, were found deceased with gunshot wounds.
Responding deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office secured the scene. The investigation that followed determined that Juan Roque was responsible for his wife's death before taking his own life. Both individuals had a gunshot injury to their right temple. A Taurus G2C 9mm handgun, legally registered to Juan Roque, was found at the scene. Investigators who examined Kali's journal and cell phone found no indication that she was suicidal. One of her husband's phones, however, displayed a loud sound notification from 10:10 p.m. the previous night, which authorities believe was the sound of a gunshot. Friends of Juan Roque later told police he had been struggling with his mental health and had been encouraged to remove firearms from his home. While he had given some guns to a friend, he kept the Taurus handgun that was used in the incident.
The tragedy was compounded by another recent death in Kali's family. Just four months prior, in November 2022, her mother, Theresa Hethorn, was found dead in her home in Monmouth. Her death was deemed suspicious, and Kali's brother, Robin Hethorn, was later indicted on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in connection with his mother's death. Initially, investigators looked into a possible link between the two family tragedies. However, the Marion County District Attorney's Office later announced they found no information connecting Kali's death to the homicide of her mother. The investigation into the couple's deaths was officially concluded as a murder-suicide, with Juan Roque as the sole person responsible.
