Shamar Elkins killed his seven children and their cousin

The motive behind the horrifying murders, which have left an entire nation in shock, is still unknown. Shamar Elkins, who later died either by being shot by police or committing suicide following a carjacking, and his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh. They were set to divorce and were supposed to appear in court on Monday.

Meanwhile, his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, revealed to The New York Times that Elkins had confessed he was drowning in “dark thoughts” weeks before the horrific murders of his seven children and their cousin.

Moreover, the killer hinted at mental-health issues in a recent Facebook post, where he called for God to “guard” his mind.

“Dear God, Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions,” a post from April 9 read. “When negativity arises, remind me to say, ‘It does not belong to me, in the name of Jesus.’”

“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told The New York Times. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”

Adoptive mother reveals Shamar Elkins chilling threat to wife years before murders

A neighbor to the family, Fred Montgomery, told CBS News he saw no warning signs that something was wrong.

“The kids played in the yard every evening,” Montgomery said. “Yesterday evening, he was sitting on the porch, I waved at him, he waved back, the children were in the yard … and then this morning we woke up to all of this.”

However, others disagree. Lashuan Berry, the owner of Valley of Hope Center for Kids daycare. She knew Elkins and his family, and told KSLA that he sometimes appeared emotionally detached.

“You could see in his eyes, nothing behind the eyes. Dead behind the eyes,” Berry said. “No soul. NPC, non-player character. He didn’t have one.”

Now, new horrifying details about Shamar Elkins have been revealed. Per The New York Times, his adoptive mother, Betty Walker, has claimed he threatened to kill his wife, Shaneiqua, and his children years before the unthinkable crime on Sunday.

Betty Walker recalled being in the kitchen, cooking, when her adopted son made the chilling remark while sitting on the couch with Pugh, while their four daughters played outside.

Shamar Elkins tried taking his own life in February

Walker walked up to Elkins and told him, “Don’t think like that,” while Shaneiqua said her husband was “just playing.”

Betty, who explained she raised Shamar Elkins as his own son, as his biological mom was a drug addict when he was born, replied, “Well, don’t play like that.”

She told the NY Times she “never thought” her adoptive son would actually “go through killing himself and these kids.” Walker added that the couple had accused each other of cheating throughout their marriage. Financial difficulties and tensions between the two were a constant.

In February, Betty Walker revealed that Shamar Elkins tried to take his own life. However, he didn’t go through with it. He was later admitted to a Veterans Affairs hospital for a week and a half after he stopped in for a mental-health evaluation.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragedy.