Dec. 29—Editor’s note: No. 4 of the top 10 stories of 2023.

HIGH POINT — A murder-suicide in an otherwise tranquil neighborhood in the northeastern part of the city left five members of a family dead, shocked the community and stunned even veteran law enforcement officers.

On Jan. 7, Robert Crayton Sr., 45, shot and killed his wife and three of his children before fatally shooting himself. The wife, Athalia Athena Crayton, 46, and children, ages 18, 16 and 10, were found dead in the middle-class home in a neighborhood off Deep River Road.

Neighbors of the family expressed shock, saying they didn’t notice anything that would have generated suspicion about the possibility of such horrific violence.

Police said that officers had been called to the Crayton home six times since 2014, most recently on Jan. 3, 2022, when Robert Crayton was served an order for involuntary commitment for mental health treatment. Police said there’s no record of Crayton, who had a professional background as a TV and movie actor, ever being arrested.

Investigators couldn’t pinpoint a definitive motive for the murder-suicide. Police said it was one of the deadliest crimes in the city in close to two decades.

The toll of the shooting could have been greater. The family’s oldest son and a woman escaped the house during the shooting and pleaded with neighbors to call 911, which they did in quick fashion.

Neighbors described a chaotic scene about 7 a.m. as a young man and a woman ran to nearby homes knocking on doors or ringing doorbells seeking help and screaming that someone tried to kill them.

Later in January, the family of Athalia Crayton, 46, or Art, as she was known to friends and family, issued a statement praising her life story and her devotion to her children and others.

Athalia Crayton’s family came from Kingston, Jamaica, and she grew up in Miami and South Carolina. She was a U.S. Army veteran, rising to the rank of sergeant in the 2nd Infantry Division as a heavy equipment mechanic.

Her family said she also was a business owner, certified life coach, interior designer and a student at N.C. A&T State University.

“Most importantly she was a dedicated mother to her children,” the family said in the statement.

A public memorial service was held in Greensboro to honor Athalia Crayton.

Autopsies released later in the year didn’t shed any insight into what prompted Robert Crayton Sr. to kill himself and members of his family.

No. 10: Wesley Memorial votes to leave UMC. No. 9: Toyota, Boom projects advance. No. 8: Residents protest plans for new school. No. 7: American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame opens. No. 6: Washington Street gets boost. No. 5: Core City continues to progress. No. 4: Murder-suicide shocks community. No. 3: Fantasia rockets back to national spotlight.

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul