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| Scott Fricker and Buckley Kuhn-Fricker |
Elder law attorney, advisor and author Buckley Kuhn-Fricker was slain in the early hours of December 22 by her teenaged daughter’s estranged 17-year-old boyfriend. Ms. Kuhn-Fricker and her husband Scott Fricker, were shot and killed in their Reston, Virginia, home when they confronted the boyfriend who was found in the daughter’s bedroom after being barred from the house because of his neo-Nazi beliefs.
Following in the footsteps of her mother, Virginia elder law attorney Janet Kuhn, Ms. Kuhn-Fricker started her professional career as a lawyer specializing in elder issues. In 2005, she shifted her focus from the law to business and opened a concierge service for seniors in the Washington, D.C., area. She is quoted by The Washington Post as saying she did so because she wanted “to help people directly.” Her company, Buckley’s For Seniors, provides seniors help with day-to-day activities to extend their independent living. A known and respected expert, Ms. Kuhn-Fricker often spoke to groups about caring for elderly parents and making end-of-life decisions, estate planning, and navigating Medicare and Medicaid. In 2012, we reviewed her newly published book Elder Care: The Road to Growing Old Is Not Paved.
It appears that her tragic death came after a tumultuous week in which she discovered on her 16-year-old daughter’s phone disturbing neo-Nazi and other hate-filled Twitter messages allegedly sent from the daughter’s boyfriend. Ms. Kuhn-Fricker had been concerned about the boyfriend’s views since the summer and finally took action when she found the Twitter messages. Refusing to allow hate in the home, the family staged an emotional intervention with the daughter on December 20, where the daughter eventually agreed to end the relationship and broke it off with the boy. Ms. Kuhn-Fricker also notified the principal of the private school both teens attend about his views and the messages he allegedly sent.
According to police reports, the boyfriend was found in the girl’s bedroom at 5 a.m. on the morning of December 22. When Mr. Fricker yelled at the boyfriend to leave the house, the boyfriend pulled out a gun and shot both parents. He then shot himself in the head, critically injuring himself. He has been charged with the murders.
To read press accounts of the murders, click here, here and here.
Link to local article on remembrances pouring in.
To read our review of Elder Care: The Road to Growing Old Is Not Paved, click here.
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