Iowa news anchor Dan Winters reveals wife of pastor in double murder-suicide was his sister
Dan Winters co-anchor of Channel 13 News in Des Moines, Iowa, revealed Saturday that he is the brother of Diana Logan, the wife of Richard Logan, a former pastor and CEO of Attack Poverty, who fatally shot himself after killing his wife and their young son in their family home.
“Some of you have asked about my absence from work and last night’s fundraiser. All I can say is that this has been the worst week of our lives,” Winters began in a Facebook post that has since been widely shared.
“On Tuesday evening, we received the devastating news that my dear sister and sweet 11-year-old nephew were killed by her husband, who then took his own life. Praise God our 22-year-old niece survived. She is nothing short of remarkable. Our family is stunned, heartbroken, and confused... but our faith sustains us. We feel the prayers raining down on us in the form of God’s love, peace, and comfort. We are so grateful for the support of countless family, friends, and co-workers. The days ahead will be difficult, but we know God is bigger than even this. Psalms 18:2,” he ended.
Authorities in Sugarland, Texas, are still investigating the motive for Richard Logan's actions but the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner said Logan shot his wife, Diana, 48, multiple times and then shot their 11-year-old son, Aaron, once, KHOU reported.
He then drove to San Marcos where his daughter, Ambrielle, is in her final year at Texas State University and tried to strangle her before taking his own life, police said.
“Police believe Richard Logan shot and killed his wife and son in their home before driving to San Marcos in Guadalupe County, physically assaulting his adult daughter and committing suicide. The handgun recovered at the scene of the suicide is believed to be the same weapon that was used to kill Logan’s wife and son. Forensic testing results are pending,” Sugar Land Police said in a statement, noting that Logan’s daughter did not report the physical assault.
In an August 2017 interview with his sister during Hurricane Harvey, Winters revealed that he once lived with her and her family in Sugar Land which is southwest of Houston.
“Once upon a time I worked in Houston. I lived with them in the suburb of Sugar Land,” Winters explained before interviewing his sister about how they were coping amid the disaster.
Authorities said Logan’s wife and son were killed sometime over the weekend of Feb. 8-9. The family’s pastor at River Pointe Church said he last saw them together on Saturday about 5 p.m. They believe Logan tried to strangle Ambrielle on Monday evening and then sometime between that night and Tuesday around 8 a.m. he fatally shot himself.
According to news station KPRC, police officers went to the family's home to perform a welfare check after law enforcement in Guadalupe County informed them that Logan’s body was found with what appeared to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound on the property of a company called TAS Environmental.
More than $67,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe campaign to help support Ambrielle Logan.