Berkeley couple killed at home were fashion designers: reports

BERKELEY, Calif. - Relatives have identified a husband and wife found shot to death Friday on the terrace of their Berkeley-Oakland Hills home as fashion executives Bryan Walker and Michelle Min.

Designers owned Bryn Walker

The backstory:

The couple operated Bryn Walker, a Berkeley-based women's apparel company, according to multiple media reports.

Min's brother, Paul Min of Carmel, told the California Post and the LA Times that he believes Walker, 61, shot and killed his 63-year-old wife on Friday in their home on Panoramic Way before turning the gun on himself. 

Investigators have not officially confirmed those details.

According to Min's brother, Walker had been suffering from mental health issues. 

A woman at the scene who declined to give her name also told KTVU that she was the slain woman’s sister and that her brother-in-law had been experiencing mental health challenges for some time.

He added that the couple had fallen into deep debt after taking out loans against their properties, losing more than $100 million through risky financial moves.

Before that, Paul Min told both news organizations that his sister and brother-in-law had been happily married. 

But after the financial loss, Paul Min told the Post his broher-in-law "had basically gone insane." 

Paul Min told the Post he believes Walker shot his sister because he learned he was going to be institutionalized, and he previously resisted most mental help efforts.