Video: Bunker survivalist Peter Keller planned murders, suicide for years

>>>More videos

On the same day the family of Kaylene Keller announced a
scholarship fund in her honor, detectives released a video
diary left behind by the man who killed her: her father.

Peter Keller, 43, killed his wife, 41-year-old Lynnettee
Keller, and 18-year-old Kaylene inside their North Bend,
Wash., home on April 22. He then lit the house on fire and
retreated to an elaborate “doomsday” bunker in the remote
woods near Rattlesnake Ridge.

Keller had spent eight years building the hideout, and may
have been preparing for “the end of the world,” according
to statements made in court documents.

He shot himself in the head sometime between April 27 and
April 28, as deputies surrounded the bunker and fired
chemical gas inside to coax him out. His suicide ended a
22-hour standoff and all but closed what was a bizarre and
closely-watched investigation.

Deputies said Thursday that a ballistics test on a weapon
found inside the bunker proved it was the one used to kill
the Keller family.

In addition to detailed photos and blueprints of the
fortress that were collected as evidence, detectives
revealed Thursday that Keller had also kept a video diary.
Portions of the diary were released to the media, and
include a scene where Keller appears to allude to the
impending murders of his wife and daughter.

“If I get caught, I’m going to shoot myself. I could
basically be dead in two weeks … I don’t think anyone
knows where I’m at,” said Keller, who was standing
outside the bunker.

In another portion of the video, which is also filmed in
the woods, Keller says it is two weeks before “the end,”
and records several takes before he seems satisfied with
the messgae.

“Well, it’s about two before the end. This is going to be
my last video probably before … that’s terrible,” Keller
said, as he starts the recording over.

“Well, it’s about two weeks before I finally drop out of
society and start this project …”

He shoots a final take.

“Well, it’s about two weeks before we finally drop out of
society and fully commit to this. It’s probably going to
be my last video until after that … ”

The King County Sheriff’s Office held a briefing
to release the new information. Sheriff Strachan gave
reporters a detailed, day-by-day recap of the
investigation in the days following the murders. He
explained how detectives used photos, topography, and
intelligence gathered from the public to track Keller to
the north side of Rattlesnake Ridge.

In one of the videos, Keller seems to be trying to
convince himself he’s making the right decision.

A while ago, I used to sit here and think
‘this whole thing is crazy’ at times and then I’d think
about it and then it would make sense. And it’s like
‘this is what I got to do,’ but now, I guess with time, I
just think that way all the time that this is what I got
to do. I don’t question it anymore. It just seems like
everything makes so much sense now. Just the more I’ve
thought about it, the more I understand it. I don’t really
feel bad about it. It’s just the way it is. Certain
things happen that caused this to happen, so I just kind
of accepted it and just rollin with it.

Present after the initial briefing were four family
members of Lynnettee and Kaylene, as well as Kaylene’s
boyfriend.

“Lynnettee and Kaylene were two amazing individuals who
will be missed by our family each and every day,” the
Rocha family said in a prepared statement. “We take some
comfort in knowing that they are together and that one day
we may see them again.”

The family thanked the public for tips that helped to
locate Keller, and thanked members of law enforcement
for their efforts to bring the tragedy to a close. They
did not, however, wish to take questions about the
murders, or the video released on Thursday.

The family described Lynnettee as being active in the
community and crafting. They called her a generous woman
who would buy gifts for underprivileged members of the
neighborhood during the Christmas season.

Kaylene, they said, was a “beautiful and vibrant” young
woman who was a hardworking, successful student at
Bellevue College. She had hopes of becoming a video game
designer, and planned to study at Redmond-based DigiPen
Institute of Technology, a leader in education and
research of computer interactive technologies.

The Rocha family announced a scholarship fund in Kaylene’s
name, and said it will be “geared toward individuals who
emulate Kaylene’s persona,” and who have plans to attend
DigiPen.

According to Strachan, a portion of the scholarship fund
will be made up of thousands of dollars taken from the
bunker; money which Peter Keller withdrew from his bank
account prior to the murders.

Those who wish to make a donation to the fund are asked to
do so at www.seattlefoundation.org/kaylene or at www.kaylenesfund.com.

>>>More videos