WISE COUNTY, Texas — A North Texas man charged with murdering his wife and daughter initially told authorities his 10-year-old son killed them, court documents show.
Evidence does not support Robert Morairity's claim, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said.
Morairity is jailed on an $800,000 bond. Authorities charged the 45-year-old with murder, capital murder and tampering with evidence in the form of a human corpse.
Last week, the man led investigators to the bodies of his wife, 42-year-old Kimberly Kellam, and his 11-year-old daughter at a home near Decatur.
According to the affidavit for Morairity's arrest, Kellam's brother called the department June 12 and said he hadn't heard from her or his niece since November 2022.
Other family members were too afraid of Morairity to report the pair missing, Akin said.
"I wish they would've called us earlier, but they neglected to do that," Akin said. "They were all scared to death of this guy."
The affidavit stated Morairity would make an excuse for the pair's absence to family members who asked where they were.
After the brother-in-law asked the sheriff's office to do a welfare check, authorities went to a home on County Road 4371 near Decatur where relatives believed Morairity and his family lived. The sheriff's office said deputies arrived but determined the home had been abandoned.
Authorities on June 13 located Morairity in Dallas, according to the sheriff's office. He was found with his other children, a 3-year-old and 10-year-old, authorities said.
Morairity led investigators to the home's garage where the bodies were, Akin said.
"They had been there for quite some time," Akin said, adding that the other children knew what happened.
The 3-year-old and 10-year-old lived in the home with their sister and mother's bodies for months, Akin confirmed.
Morairity initially told investigators his son stabbed Kellam to death in November 2022. Morairity said he placed the woman's body in a large plastic container in the garage, according to the arresting document.
He then told authorities his son killed the 11-year-old girl by smothering her with plastic in January or February 2023. Morairity put her body under a tarp in the garage, the affidavit stated.
Presented with evidence that conflicted with his story, Morairity confessed to involvement in the crime, the sheriff said.
Akin said the sheriff's office was still investigating how Kellam and her daughter died and the motive for their deaths. Authorities do believe the woman and girl died months apart.
In the affidavit, authorities said they believe Morairity committed the offenses of murder, capital murder of a person under 10 years old and tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse.
The two children found with Morairity remain in custody of Child Protective Services.