{"id":484670,"date":"2026-10-04T08:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T08:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/484670\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T08:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T08:26:17","slug":"brother-says-fashion-ceo-spiraled-after-losing-100m-before-couple-found-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/484670\/","title":{"rendered":"Brother says fashion CEO spiraled after losing $100M before couple found dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The brother of Michelle Min, the wife of fashion CEO Bryan Walker, claimed her deranged husband carried out a murder-suicide<\/a> after a series of risky decisions led to him falling into financial ruin.<\/p>\n

Paul Min, 58, exclusively told The California Post that the \u201cextremely wealthy\u201d couple had no problems in their marriage \u2014 before Oakland police<\/a> found them dead on a turf terrace attached to their home in the hills near UC Berkeley on Friday.<\/p>\n

But Walker, who stood to the side as his wife controlled their mutual business and women\u2019s fashion company Bryn Walker, had suffered extensive mental anguish in the months before the couple\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

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But Walker, who stood to the side as his wife controlled their mutual business and women\u2019s fashion company Bryn Walker, had suffered extensive mental anguish in the months before the couple\u2019s death. CA Post<\/p>\n

Michelle Min poses with her brother Paul and a family member. courtesy of family<\/p>\n

Paul said Walker went behind the family\u2019s back to take out loans against their properties, gambled on risky options and leveraged positions, and fell into immense debt for no clear reason. He had not worked for some time, but the couple agreed he could \u201cplay\u201d around with some of their wealth. <\/p>\n

But he went well out of control.<\/p>\n

By the time the dust cleared in mid-September, Walker believed he had lost \u201cwell over $100 million,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n

The loss sent him into a spiral about the possibilities of where their family could be headed. Walker went into a state of mental incapacitation, and \u201cwe feared he was suicidal,\u201d Paul recounted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just curled up into a ball, and he was just sobbing like a baby for weeks on end. He was just completely useless,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n

Her family told The Post, she was determined to salvage the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine that happening to you? You would collapse. Your spouse lied to you and lost over $100 million and you might be out on the streets,\u201d he said. \u201cYou might go from being one of the wealthiest people in the country to being homeless because your husband lied to you and wagered everything on crazy bets.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cared for her husband closely, Paul said, trying to make him better. Michelle fed, coddled, and embraced Walker to bring him away from his mental edge.<\/p>\n

She hired a \u201chotshot\u201d accountant in Chicago who told them their situation wasn\u2019t as bad as they believed, Paul said, but it was too late. Walker \u201chad basically gone insane,\u201d her family said. KTVU<\/p>\n

She hired a \u201chotshot\u201d accountant in Chicago who told them their situation wasn\u2019t as bad as they believed, Paul said, but it was too late. Walker \u201chad basically gone insane,\u201d her family said. KTVU<\/p>\n

She hired a \u201chotshot\u201d accountant in Chicago who told them their situation wasn\u2019t as bad as they believed, Paul said, but it was too late. Walker \u201chad basically gone insane,\u201d her family said.<\/p>\n

Min\u2019s family made plans to institutionalize him after trying, futilely, to recover his mental state. But on the morning he was set to be institutionalized, Friday, a friend from down the street received a text.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall 911,\u201d Walker texted the friend, Paul said.<\/p>\n

Fearing something was wrong, he bolted to the residence. But the alleged fatal shots rang out before he could get there. Walker had already allegedly shot himself and his wife, Paul said.<\/p>\n

Paul believes Walker shot his wife because he learned he was going to be institutionalized, and he previously resisted most mental help efforts. Provided by the Family<\/p>\n

Min\u2019s family had taken the proactive step of hiding the firearms the family owned, but it appeared Paul somehow retrieved one, Michelle\u2019s brother said. Walker hid the gun in a downstairs bedroom and loaded it there as his wife went to the turf patio to let out their small dog, Pip. <\/p>\n

He then walked upstairs and shot her, Paul believed.<\/p>\n

Haunting surveillance video reviewed by CBS<\/a>, too horrifying for them to play on air, unveiled the mysterious circumstances of the shooting. The first gunshot can be heard on video around 10:43 a.m. Friday, and then a man is heard crying and screaming in a \u201cvery dramatic\u201d scene. <\/p>\n

Then a second gunshot rang out a short time later, \u201cand it was dead quiet,\u201d CBS reported.<\/p>\n

Police found a sort of suicide note on the scene that included the passcodes to Walker\u2019s and Michelle\u2019s phones, Paul said. The note suggested Walker had premeditated the plan and left the codes so the family could arrange their affairs.<\/p>\n

Paul believes Walker shot his wife because he learned he was going to be institutionalized, and he previously resisted most mental help efforts.<\/p>\n

Walker and Michelle\u2019s marriage lasted more than 30 years before the fashion CEO allegedly killed his wife, and then himself, Paul said.<\/p>\n

Michelle\u2019s family is still enduring the \u201ccomplete mess\u201d left by the horrific alleged crime. She leaves behind her brother, Paul, and sister Alexandra, 60. <\/p>\n

Michelle\u2019s family is still enduring the \u201ccomplete mess\u201d left by the horrific alleged crime. She leaves behind her brother, Paul, and sister Alexandra, 60. courtesy of family<\/p>\n

Paul said he\u2019s going to run their fashion company, and the family is trying to reorganize Walker\u2019s financial mess.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister was utterly devoted to Brian to the very end, and he shot her,\u201d Paul said. \u201cShe didn\u2019t say anything harsh to him. She just said, \u2018Brian, you\u2019ve been sick. It\u2019s my fault, I should have known better. I should have known you were in a crisis.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe blamed herself. That\u2019s the kind of person she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one knows, including Paul, exactly why Walker allegedly decided to shoot his wife and then himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he was just too weak to go by himself,\u201d Paul said. \u201cI used to think of him as a strong person, but I\u2019d never seen him tested. When he lost his money, I kept trying to tell him, like, \u2018It\u2019s just money.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy take our beautiful sister?\u201d he asked. \u201cWhy not just kill yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oakland Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting and has not ruled out a murder-suicide.<\/p>\n

Police recovered one firearm at the couple\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

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