The Brian Douglas White Livonia murders took place on April 4, 2012, when the 19-year-old broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend near Five Mile and Inkster roads, killed her mother and her new boyfriend with an ax, held the ex-girlfriend hostage, and then shot himself in the head.1CBS News. Man Kills Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother and New Boyfriend in Apparent Double Murder-Suicide, Police Say Because White died at the scene, no criminal prosecution followed.
What Happened That Morning
White entered the Livonia home while the occupants were asleep. He attacked 46-year-old Angela Kim Staperfene with an ax, killing her with blows to the head.2The Oakland Press. Police: Livonia Man Uses Axe to Kill Ex-Girlfriend’s Mom, New Boyfriend, Then Shoots Self He then moved to the bedroom of his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend, Desireé Staperfene, where he killed her current boyfriend, 19-year-old Jacob Lee Burns, also with the ax.3New Haven Register. Police: Livonia Man Uses Axe to Kill
Desireé was assaulted and held hostage during the incident. She later told a dispatcher White had “beat her up” before he shot himself.4CBS News Detroit. 911 Tapes Released From Livonia Double Murder-Suicide She reached police around 12:20 p.m. Officers arrived to find three people dead. She was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released.5New York Daily News. Spurned Teen Kills Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend and Her Mother With Axe Before Taking Own Life
The 911 Call
When she reached the dispatcher, Desireé did not yet know her mother had also been killed in another room. “My ex-boyfriend broke into my house and killed my current boyfriend and then killed himself,” she said.6WDIV ClickOnDetroit. 911 Call Released in Livonia Double Murder-Suicide She described the scene: “The ax is in Jake’s head and the gun is in Brian’s hand.” Livonia police later said her cooperation “helped greatly in the investigation.”
The Victims
Angela Kim Staperfene, born February 26, 1966, was survived by her husband David and her daughter Desireé.7Fred Wood Funeral Home. Obituary for Angela Staperfene
Jacob Lee Burns, 19, was connected to Livonia Stevenson High School, where Desireé was a senior. Those who knew him remembered him as a “good kid” and a standout athlete.8HuffPost. Brian White Facebook Double Murder-Suicide His family established the Jacob Burns Memorial Fund at the Community Alliance Credit Union in Livonia.9CBS News Detroit. Memorial Fund Set Up for Victim of Livonia Double Murder
Motive and Warning Signs
Police said the relationship between White and Desireé had recently ended, and reports indicated she had broken up with him because he was controlling.8HuffPost. Brian White Facebook Double Murder-Suicide Livonia police said they had no record of White being violent before that day. There were no personal protection orders against him and no prior calls about his behavior.10Patch. Murder-Suicide Attacker Did Not Threaten, and Other Details
His Facebook activity in the weeks before the attack told a different story. On March 27, 2012, he wrote, “What a polite murderer.” Two days later he posted a Blue October lyric: “And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave, kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made.”8HuffPost. Brian White Facebook Double Murder-Suicide Another post quoted the Gotye song “Somebody That I Used to Know”: “You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness.” He also quoted Patrick Bateman from American Psycho: “I like to dissect girls. Did I mention I’m insane?”11New York Daily News. Jilted Lover Turned Axe Murderer Was Obsessed With American Psycho His profile picture at the time reportedly showed blood splattered across a bedroom. Available reporting does not indicate whether anyone who saw the posts reported them to authorities before the attack.
Aftermath
Lt. Thomas Goralski of the Livonia Police Department confirmed that both murder victims died from ax blows to the head and that White died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.2The Oakland Press. Police: Livonia Man Uses Axe to Kill Ex-Girlfriend’s Mom, New Boyfriend, Then Shoots Self With the perpetrator dead at the scene, no charges were filed and no trial took place.
More than a decade later, Michigan enacted legislation addressing the same category of violence, though not tied to this case. In October 2023, the state Senate passed a bipartisan package prohibiting people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses from possessing firearms for eight years, bringing state law closer to existing federal prohibitions.12Michigan Senate Democrats. Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bills into law on November 20, 2023.13Students Demand Action. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Signs Law to Help Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers