A 19-year-old man who was the sole survivor in his father’s murder-suicide rampage, that claimed the lives of his three younger siblings and parents, died unexpectedly at his extended family’s Utah home just one week after starting his freshman year of college.

Sha Reh was 17 years old when police say his father killed his mother, his 8-year-old and 2-year-old sisters, and his 11-year-old brother at their house in December 2024.

A young man with a white cane and backpack stands on a sidewalk.
Sha Reh, 19, died of natural causes at his extended family’s home in Utah on Sunday.GoFundMe

Reh was found in the garage with a gunshot wound to the head and miraculously survived, though he was permanently blinded as a result of the attack.

His extended family confirmed his death in a GoFundMe. They wrote that he died of natural causes on Sunday.

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His distraught loved ones said Reh persevered in the wake of his family’s murder and learned to communicate in Braille at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. He recently reached a point where he could “live independently” again.

A young man in a classroom, smiling with his eyes closed and wearing wireless earbuds.
Reh was the sole survivor of a murder-suicide in December 2024.GoFundMe

Reh, a first-generation student, was accepted to the University of Utah as a Presidential Scholar and began his freshman year just one week before he died. He was set to major in pre-law, and dreamed of attending law school after completing his undergraduate education.

His surviving family said they found comfort in the thought of “his reunion with his family.”

“He was among those who were once blind, but now can see. He has a perfect vision of his and his family’s eternity, and his home is now with them. Caring for him and watching him grow and regain his independence has been a labor of love for our family,” they wrote in a statement.

A smiling young man wearing a plaid shirt over a red Utah t-shirt, carrying a backpack and a white cane.
Reh turned to his religion for comfort after his family was slaughtered and believed he would “be able to see [his] family again in the afterlife.”GoFundMe

In an interview with KSL in May 2025, Reh admitted that he didn’t necessarily struggle to pick up Braille.

When his family emigrated to the US from Myanmar a few years before it plunged into civil war, he had to learn English from scratch, and could use similar tactics to teach himself Braille.

Upon settling in Utah, his family was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reh cited his faith as a source of lasting comfort and motivation, since he could rest easy knowing “I will be able to see my family again in the afterlife.”

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“I strive to do good things in this world. I am very grateful and blessed to have this opportunity to be happy,” Reh told the outlet.

“I think my one major goal is to be happy and to make others happy,” he added.