It was a royal gathering in 2001, and Nepal's former Crown Prince, Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was among the hosts. But on that night, he turned into a cold murderer; his own family members were the victims.
He shot and killed nine people, including his father, the king, his mother, and seven other members of the royal family. After the attack, he shot himself and went into a coma. Even though he was unconscious in the hospital, the crown was passed to Dipendra, and he was declared the new king as soon as his father died.
Three days later, the "Ghost King", as he was referred to for the circumstances under which he was crowned, succumbed to injuries; his uncle, Gyanendra, became the new king.
A government investigation found he was not only drunk on whiskey on the night of the massacre but also high on a special cigarette made with hashish and another unknown black substance, The New York Times reported.
Dipendra left the party for a while. When he came back, he was wearing army gear and carrying multiple guns. He went into a room where his father, King Birendra, and others were sitting and started shooting before anyone could even react.
Ravi Shumshere Rana, Dipendra's uncle, recalled, "Dipendra just looked at his father. He said nothing and squeezed the trigger once. The king stood there for a few seconds after the firing, and then slowly he sat down on the ground. It was about this time that the king finally spoke. Kay gardeko? (What have you done?)"
But he didn't reply. Instead, he started moving through the rooms, shooting his family. When his brother, Prince Nirajan, tried to protect their mother, Dipendra shot both of them. He then shot his sister, Princess Shruti, when she tried to help her injured husband.
Dr Rajiv Shahi, the son-in-law of the youngest brother of King Birendra, told The Time Magazine, "At this point, he went wild and started shooting whoever came in front of him. How many weapons he used, I'm not sure. I didn't count. It was too fast."
Many still wonder the reason Dipendra went on the killing spree. He was the eldest son of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, making him the crown prince and next in line to the throne.
According to ABC News, the tragedy may have occurred because Dipendra's parents opposed his marriage to Devyani Rana, a local aristocrat. Some reports say they even threatened to take away his right to be king if he went ahead with the marriage. His mother wanted Dipendra to marry a distant relative from the royal family instead.
Some also think Dipendra was unhappy with his father's plans to give more power to the people, taking steps towards a constitutional monarchy. He may have worried that he would inherit a weaker, less powerful throne.
"From the beginning, he probably didn't get the love he should have had as a child. That's what my belief is," said Lieutenant General Vivek Kumar Shah. "He had a kind of sadistic nature. He would burn a cat or a mouse. He would enjoy that," he added.
