Journal-News.com

Tim Shumate knew the

Veillettes very well. He lived next door to them on Dayspring Court in Trenton in Butler County for six years before his friends moved to Mason.

During that time, Shumate and his brother spent countless hours with the family, sharing picnics and even a trip to an air show.

"They were like gold," Shumate said. "Their kids were their life. They were really into each other."

Michel Veillette, a self-employed engineer, traveled for work frequently but, after his father died in 2006, he told Shumate he planned to spend more time at home with his wife and children.

"He would have laid his life on the line for his kids and his wife," Shumate said.

It's little wonder then that Shumate and others who knew the Veillettes are stunned, confused and saddened by what happened Friday night.

Michel Veillette, 34, is charged with murder, four counts of aggravated murder and aggravated arson in the deaths of his wife, Nadya Ferrari-Veillette, 33, and their four children: Marguerite, 8; Victor, 4; and 2-year-old twins Mia and Jacob.

Veillette allegedly stabbed his wife to death and then set fire to their $436,000 home on Brackenview Court about 10 p.m.

Police and firefighters said they found Veillette laying on the ground outside his home with stab wounds. He was taken to University Hospital.

Early Saturday morning, Mason police charged the man — who neighbors and friends said was a loving husband and father — with killing his wife and children.

Priya Varadarajan's children played with the Veillette children, who moved to Mason two years ago.

"My kids used to play with their kids in the back yard and had fun," she said. "They were sweet angels. It just goes to show you never know what can happen."

The Mason schools were particularly hard hit since Maguerite attended Mason Heights Elementary and Vincent went to the Mason Early Childhood Center, which overlooks the now scorched and empty Veillette house.

Principals at both schools recalled seeing Ferrari-Veillette with twins in tow every week. Grief counselors and school psychologists adjusted their schedules to be at the schools Monday, including psychologists from other schools in the district.

Marguerite's classmates created a memory book in her honor.

"Marguerite was just a top-notch kid," Mason Heights Principal Eric Messer said. "Anyone would be proud to say 'That's my child,' "

MECC Principal Mike

Zimmermann said staff, the PTO and Mason residents have given donations toward a tree to be planted at the school in memory of Vincent.

"The memorial should be something that has life and kind of conveys that Vincent's memory lives with us,"

Zimmermann said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com. Staff writers Daniel Wells and Danielle Wilson contributed to this story.