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Bloomington man kills estranged brother in California murder-suicide

WFIU | By Clayton Baumgarth
Published May 15, 2026 at 1:37 PM EDT
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A 49-year-old Bloomington man carried out an elaborate murder-suicide against his estranged brother in California, investigators said.

Matthew Heflin rented a car loaded with guns and drove to Santa Clara, where he secretly rented a house next to his brother Mark, 52.

According to Santa Clara Police Chief Cory Morgan, Matthew stayed there for three days before confronting his brother in the front yard and gunning him down May 8. Officers found 12 shell casings at the scene.

Morgan said that after the shooting, Matthew fled back to the rental home and set it on fire. His body was discovered by officers in a rear bedroom.

Four pistols, $95,000 in cash and Matthew’s passport were found in the house.
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Clayton Baumgarth
Clayton Baumgarth is a multimedia journalist for Indiana Public Media. He gathers stories from the rural areas surrounding Bloomington. Clayton was born and raised in central Missouri, and graduated college with a degree in Multimedia Production/Journalism from Drury University.
See stories by Clayton Baumgarth
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