The terminal cancer doctor who killed a pediatrician before taking his own life in an Austin doctor’s office was previously accused of abusing his ex-wife, whom he ridiculed as an “unfortunate” person, according to the archives. judicial.
Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, according to police, took hostages before killing Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson, 43, in a murder-suicide in the children’s medical group, was charged with domestic abuse in Hawaii in 2012, but the case it was later dismissed. , reported the American statesman from Austin.
Narumanchi, 43, characterized his ex-wife in court by posing as an “unfortunate person from childhood,” alleging that she only married him to obtain U.S. citizenship that he “eluded when he was living.” in the United States as a student, “the newspaper reported.
Court records cited by KXAN show that Narumanchi filed for divorce in 2012. The couple had joint custody of their daughter and the history linked Narumanchi to a home in northern Austin, where residents currently live with him. surname, but not listed as one of its owners, the station reported.
Austin Police Lt. Jeff Greenwalt said investigators believe the doctor’s terminal cancer diagnosis “probably played an important role” in taking four hostages who escaped or were released before they arrived. the cops.
The hostages told Statesman-America that Narumanchi burst into the office around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday while carrying two bed bags, a handgun and a shotgun.
Narumanchi’s relatives, meanwhile, told investigators they had begun investigating hospice care for the doctor after his diagnosis of “a few weeks” of life. Police have not indicated what type of cancer he had, KXAN reported.
Public records cited by the U.S. state show that Narumanchi lived in several states. Most recently, he practiced at Providence Health Services in Southern California and also obtained a doctor’s license in Oklahoma, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Florida, according to labor records.
After graduating from medical school in 2008 at St. Paul University School of Medicine. George in Grenada, Narumanchi worked for 18 months at St. George’s Medical Center. Vincent in Manhattan before being fired in December 2009, KXAN reported.
Narumanchi later filed a complaint for his dismissal and then rejected a proposed settlement, according to federal court records.
The doctor later filed a $ 24,700 lawsuit in bankruptcy court when the now-defunct hospital filed Chapter 11 in 2010, but was subsequently reviewed at just $ 1,524, according to records.
In 2012, Narumanchi was granted a “physician and surgeon A” license to practice medicine in California, where it was valid until August 2022, KXAN reported.
It is still unclear why Narumanchi ran the hospital, even though he had been turned down for a volunteer position weeks ago, investigators said. A staff member told the American statesman that Narumanchi did not meet Dodson during this visit.
“We don’t know if that’s why he decided to return or if he may have had some other involvement,” Greenwalt said Wednesday.
Narumanchi’s parents said Wednesday in a statement that they were collaborating with investigators, but that they “don’t understand” what motivated their son to murder.
“The consequences of this action will live with us forever and we can only hope that faith, spiritual healing and the light of God will guide us through the darkness of this moment,” the statement said.
