Deranged transgender gunman Robert Dorgan was cousins with his ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, whom he gunned down along with their son at a high school hockey game.
The twisted relationship emerged after records showed the killer and one of his victims had the same last name before they tied the knot in 1992, according to the Providence Journal.
Dorgan opened fire at members of his family at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket on Monday, killing Rhonda, their son, Aidan, and seriously wounding her parents, Gerald and Linda Dorgan.
At first, the reason for the shooter having the same last name as his ex-wife’s parents was not immediately clear, but the outlet delved into their family tree via the 1950 census.
Edward Dorgan and his wife, Eva Dorgan, lived in Smithfield, Rhode Island at the time with their two sons, Raymond Dorgan and Robert J. Dorgan.
Robert J. Dorgan was the father of the trans shooter Robert Dorgan, and Raymond Dorgan fathered Gerald Dorgan, who was a victim in the shooting and remains in critical condition with his wife, Linda.
Gerald and Linda were the parents of Rhonda Dorgan, who would marry the Robert Dorgan who massacred his family before divorcing him in 2021.
According to the outlet, what this means is that Edward Dorgan is the killer’s grandfather and the great-grandfather of his murdered wife, making Rhonda and Robert Dorgan first cousins, once removed.
Rhode Island is one of 32 US states that legally permits first cousins to marry, but the Ocean State is one of a small handful of states that allows avunculate marriage — between uncle and niece or aunt and nephew — under certain religious or cultural circumstances.