His Parents Had Reportedly Asked Him to Leave
Alan had previously lived in the Billings home with his parents for several years. According to his former brother-in-law, however, Dana and Barbara had asked their adult son to move out only a couple of weeks before the killings.
Brad described Alan as a "hermit" who spent much of his life isolated in his room and on a computer. "No one knew what he did in there 24/7," Brad said.
Alan had attended Eastern Washington University, but Brad said he had struggled to maintain employment. He had followed his parents from Seattle to Montana after Megan became the first member of the family to relocate to the state.
Brad also claimed that concerns about Alan had been expressed before the killings. "There were many red flags and many people spoke out," he said. "No one listened."
The fact that Alan had recently been told to leave his parents' home has emerged as one possible piece of context surrounding what happened. Authorities' description of the attack, however, does not establish that request as a definitive motive. There was another cruel twist involving the timing of the family dinner.
