New Jersey Dad Involved in Family Murder-Suicide Had Previously Sued Realtor Over Allegedly Hazardous Rental Home

A New Jersey family’s devastating murder-suicide has brought renewed attention to a years-old lawsuit in which the father accused a real estate agent of exposing his family to dangerous conditions inside a rental property.

David Grodnick, 61, his wife, Lora Grodnick, 62, and their 24-year-old daughter, Sloane, were found dead inside their Montgomery Township home on October 2, 2026. Prosecutors determined that Lora and Sloane died by homicide, while David’s death was ruled a suicide. Authorities have not publicly established a motive.

Years earlier, David and Lora had filed a lawsuit over a home they rented in Princeton in 2016. The couple said they moved to the area because of its schools and educational opportunities for their daughter, who had special needs.

In the 2018 complaint, the couple alleged that the rental property had arsenic-contaminated well water, faulty electrical wiring and a fireplace that emitted carbon monoxide. They also accused real estate agent Hong Jing of improperly handling their $33,800 in rental and security deposits.

Jing, her brokerage and Keller Williams denied wrongdoing and disputed several allegations. The lawsuit was dismissed in September 2019 without costs to either side. The court filing did not establish liability or disclose whether a settlement had been reached.

The family later purchased a home in Montgomery Township, where investigators eventually made the grim discovery. Police had received a request for a welfare check on October 1 but did not enter the residence until the following day.

David worked as a senior vice president and underwriting counsel for a commercial real estate insurance agency. Sloane had studied art and design and was pursuing a master’s degree at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Authorities have described the killings as an isolated incident and said there was no threat to the public. They have not announced a motive connecting the family’s earlier legal dispute to the deaths.

The old lawsuit offers a glimpse into a chapter of the family’s life years before the tragedy, but investigators have not established any connection between that dispute and the deaths.

Sources: New York Post — NJ Dad Sued Realtor Over Allegedly Hazardous Rental Home Before Family Murder-Suicide