The four members of the wealthy family who died inside former tennis star James Blake’s burning Florida mansion had been shot before their rented home went up in flames, authorities said Thursday.
A handgun registered to dad Darrin Campbell was found at the gutted house, and investigators said they are looking into the possibility the fiery deaths were a murder-suicide.
Officials also said that Campbell, his wife, Kimberly, and their two teen children were sitting on a veritable powder keg — as the 49-year-old businessman had an “exceedingly large amount” of fireworks stored in the Tampa-area home before Wednesday’s tragedy.
Campbell purchased $650 worth of explosives at Phantom Fireworks in Tampa, and also stashed “big gas cans that could hold several gallons each” and an unidentified accelerant throughout the home, according to a law-¬enforcement source.
Neighbors could hear the sound of the explosives going off as the fire raged. “Geez, what is that popping noise?” a puzzled neighbor said on a call to 911.
The bodies, which have not been officially ID’d because of their condition, were found inside a bedroom. Autopsies were being conducted.
“The detectives were there all day going through debris and looking for evidence,” a sheriff’s spokesperson told The Post.
Campbell had been renting the $1.5 million mansion from Blake for the past two years. The ex-tennis star was a family friend.
Campbell was described as a top-notch businessman and a family man. His wife was a stay-at-home mom. The couple’s 19-year-old son, Colin, was a school baseball player, while their daughter, Megan, 16, took dance lessons.
Campbell had worked in executive positions at large companies across the country. For a time, he worked with Pearl Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. The family had been around Tampa for the past 10 years.
Campbell also worked for the Anchor Glass Container Corp., and then for PODS, where he was a senior vice president.
With Post Wire Services