"They went to church every Sunday. They just seemed like a very happy, normal couple"

Via Avedon Carol comes yet another tale of how being a good, churchgoing Christian should stop being the benchmark we use to evaluate Americans' morality.

This one is more horrifying than most:

A man suspected of decapitating his 4-year-old daughter and leaving the body for her mother to find in their suburban home was arrested in Washington, D.C., early Saturday, authorities said.

Investigators have not found any history of domestic or mental health problems at the home, and still have no leads as to a possible motive in the killing, said Clayton police Lt. Jon Gerrell.

Amber Violette told police Friday evening she had found her daughter, Katlin, with her head severed from her body, police said.

An "edged weapon" believe to have been used in the killing was found in the house, though Gerrell declined to give more details.

"This is devastating for the whole community as a whole, and it's the most horrific thing I've seen in 13 years of police work," said Sgt. S.P. Lapsley. "That a father could do this to his child, I just can't believe it."

John Patrick Violette's vehicle was found at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and investigators learned he had taken a flight to Washington. Deputy U.S. marshals arrested the 37-year-old after police tracked his credit card to the hotel, Lapsley said.

Police said Violette, 37, would be held in Washington pending an extradition on a murder charge expected to be filed in Clayton, about 15 miles southeast of Raleigh. The U.S. Marshals Service said an extradition hearing is expected to be held Tuesday.

The mother is not a suspect in the investigation, and Lapsley said police don't expect to make any more arrests.

Police said John Violette quit his job at a home improvement store on Thursday, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

Lori McCreary, who lives across the street from the Violette home in Clayton, a suburb about 15 miles southeast of Raleigh, described the family as "very private, but normal."

"They went to church every Sunday. They just seemed like a very happy, normal couple,"

Isn't it funny how every time something like this happens, people are surprised because they "went to church"? John List was such a good churchgoing Lutheran that after he murdered his wife, mother, and three children in 1971, the Westfield, NJ police figured (correctly) that he'd affiliate with a church as quickly as possible. Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, was also a Lutheran, and not just a Lutheran, but president of his church.

You know, the only times I've ever been in a house of worship since early childhood have been for weddings and funerals. And somehow I've managed to avoid murdering anyone, committing sexual assault, embezzling money, cheating on my spouse, or anything more heinous than a parking ticket. Kind of makes you wonder about this whole business about "good churchgoing Christians", doesn't it?