Canadian father killed tenant, family, police say

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A Canadian man stabbed to death a tenant in the basement of his suburban Calgary home on Tuesday evening, then went upstairs and killed his wife, two of his three young children and, finally, himself, Calgary police said on Friday.

Joshua Lall, a 34-year-old intern at an architecture firm in the Western Canadian city, spared only his one-year-old child, a girl who was found by police in her crib the next day. Lall's body was found in the infant's room.

Alerted by a relative, police discovered the bodies on Wednesday morning.

Officials described the crime scene as gruesome. Lall, and all the victims, died of multiple stab wounds, police said.

"Based on the evidence at hand it is our belief that Joshua Lall was responsible for this incident," Police Inspector Guy Slater told reporters, confirming widespread speculation.

"It appears the basement tenant Amber (Bowerman) was the first to die, followed by Alison (Lall's wife) and the two girls. Every indication is that Alison fought to protect her children."

Alison Lall was 35. Her daughters, Kristen and Rochelle were 5 and 3. The tenant, a local journalist, was 30.

Police released the information after a preliminary autopsy was completed but said a toxicology report was still pending.

Local media reports have said Joshua Lall had phoned his parents in Ontario this week to tell them he may have had a mental breakdown. However police declined to speculate on his mental state.

Lall was described by neighbors as a friendly family man who took an active role in community events in his northwestern Calgary neighborhood.

Friends and relatives told local media there was no indication he was struggling with undue amounts of stress or had mental health concerns.

(Reporting by Scott Haggett; editing by Rob Wilson)