Utah obituary: ‘Family’ man who killed 7 ‘lived a life of service’
A man accused of murdering his wife and kids in Utah was remembered in an obituary as a “family” type who “lived a life of service,” drawing scrutiny from many.
Michael Haight’s obituary leaves out how police believe he died — by shooting himself after killing seven other family members in the home, including his wife’s mother, McClatchy News previously reported.
Instead, it describes how each of his five children were “truly a cherished miracle” to him and his wife, Tausha Haight, who had filed for divorce two weeks prior, the Associated Press reported. The obituary also describes how he “made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children.”
The obituary sparked outrage online over the Jan. 16 holiday weekend. Shannon Watts, a prominent anti-gun violence activist and the founder of Moms Demand Action, shared a link to the obituary on Twitter and pointed out that none of the comments on the obituary mentioned the victims.
“Obituary for the Utah man who fatally shot his five children, mother-in-law and estranged wife: ‘Michael made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children. Michael enjoyed making memories with the family’,” Watts wrote.
She then shared an East Idaho News story that included a lengthy statement from the murdered wife’s family.
She then shared the GoFundMe fundraiser for the family, pointing out they had removed Haight’s image from their family photo “and replaced him with … white Jesus.”
The next day, Watts shared that the obituary had been locked from public view. She shared screenshots of the obituary for those who hadn’t seen it.
Multiple comments on the GoFundMe page expressed outrage and frustration over the way Haight was being remembered.
“This man murdered his five children, his wife, and his mother-in-law instead of accepting an impending divorce and seeking therapy,” one comment stated. “How dare you replace his face with that of Jesus Christ, your lord and savior. How dare you.”
“He slaughtered his family and you all have the nerve to pretend like we lost a good person,” another comment said.
Others shared their outrage across social media.
“The southern Utah obituary is a reminder that for a lot of America, if you have the right social creds, you get a free pass on abuse, murder, anything,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Make sure you look good in church and are a ‘good guy’ and even your kids won’t be missed.”
The Haight family belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, according to the obituary, which mentioned his mission to Brazil and the “many fond memories of his time spent there.” .
Another person, who described themselves in their Twitter biography as “Post-Mormon,” wrote they were struggling as they read about the case.
“Watching all the friends of the man who murdered his entire family talk about what a good man he was on the obituary. I can’t tell if its a society thing or a serious LDS church thing,” they wrote. “Holding my son tight.”
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