Dozens pack court for 3-year-old left orphaned when her dad killed her family, himself

Family members of a 3-year-old girl left orphaned after her father killed her mother, grandmother and twin sister and then killed himself packed a Broward courtroom Tuesday morning for a shelter hearing.

“I can’t tell you how many children come through this courtroom with no one,” said Judge Shari Africk Olefson. “To see this is really wonderful because this child is going to need it.”

On Sunday night, the girl’s father Pablo Colon used a handgun to fatally shoot his wife Sandra, mother-in-law Olga Alvarez, 61 and one of his 3-year-old daughters, the little girl’s twin, in their Pembroke Pines home. He then killed himself, Pembroke Pines police said.

When police arrived they found the four bodies and the sole survivor, the 3-year-old girl. She was taken to a hospital for observation.

By Tuesday, Pembroke Pines police had not released any new information. Detectives were not able to determine a motive.

A Facebook photo of Colon shows him smiling with a PCA Electrical Services van. The website for the company lists Colon as the president.

At Tuesday’s shelter hearing, the judge ruled the girl, who must be given grief counseling, will stay with her paternal cousin until permanent custody could be determined, according to news reports.

Another hearing is scheduled for Friday.

This story was originally published August 27, 2019 at 8:37 PM.