An Indian-origin CEO has reportedly killed his co-founder wife and their 14-year-old son before killing himself in a case of murder suicide in the US. The incident took place in April in Newcastle, Washington, as per reports.
The man was identified as Harshavardhana Kikkeri, 57, his wife as Shwetha Panyam (44), and their son as Dhruva Kikkeri (14).
The incident came to light when a shooting was reported to the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) in Newcastle. According to the city-based Renton Reporter, the Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that three people were found dead at the scene.
Authorities said that the CEO’s wife and son died due to gunshot wounds, and their deaths were confirmed as murder. The son had been shot in the head, while the wife had another bullet injury on her torso. After this, Harshavardhana took his own life.
Neighbours said the family of four mostly stayed to themselves and lived quietly in their townhouse. The couple’s younger son, who is 7 years old, is the only one who survived.
Police have not shared the reason behind the crime. However, they said they understand people may have questions about what happened. The investigation is still going on.
Harshavardhana Kikkeri was originally from Mandya in Karnataka. He studied in Mysuru and later moved to the US for higher education. He completed his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University. He had worked with Microsoft and had expertise in robotics.
Kikkeri had won several leadership and academic awards during his career. These include the Gold Star Award from Microsoft, the Excellence Award from Infosys, the Bharat Petroleum Scholarship, and also awards in chess tournaments.
In 2017, the couple returned to India and started a company called HoloWorld. However, the company reportedly shut down in 2022.
Later that year, Kikkeri and his family moved back to the US and started a new project called HoloSuit — a full-body motion capture suit with artificial intelligence features. This invention received attention for its ability to work as a virtual trainer for the human body.
