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Bhaugh, you'll get no criticism for stating that sad fact from me; some dogs are just too 'broken' to be able to re-enter the social world of people and othe animals with any degree of confidence for the safety of that dog or the world around it; and contrary to what Barbara Woodhouse used to say, there ARE dogs which are 'bad' from birth, i.e. genetically screwed up as far as temperament is concerned, and there is no fixing that, either.

It's not a pleasant point to ponder, but that doesn't change that basic truth. In this instance, though, chances are as good as not that the rescue would have been fine as a single pet, or even with one other dog.  Anytime you try to assimilate another adult dog into a an already-established social unit it's dicey, especially with a breed like the GSD which was NEVER bred with an eye toward keeping them in pack groups, and as was said previously, adding a third dog to an established pairing is probably the worst configuration possible. 

OMG:  If I would have come home to that;  talk about broken.  I would never forgive myself.  So sorry for this dismay and tragedy (SP) nothing looks right as far as spelling.  I run 4 dogs together all the time;  except if my bitch is in season;  then everyone gets separated;  2 males, father and son;  2 females one older 12.4 years old and the 2 year old which is the one that comes in season.  She is definitely the bitch from hell when she comes in and gets the males to fight.  She will be spayed soon;  wanted to let her grow up.  But the whole dynamics change when she comes near her season.  I separate the boys totally for 3 weeks and of courese she is away from the boys.  My older girl is the queen so she keeps the peace.  But talk about having to be on  your toes;  not fun and I have plenty of experience with this but I can see and have experienced what can happen if you are not on your toes.  So sorry for this sad happening.  Hopefully time will help to heal.

I agree, Bhaugh, but the rescue was killed, so you can't quite say it was all "her fault." 

I can't imagine leaving two females together, let alone with a male in the mix...yikes. The problem is most dogs are so watered down today and docile that people just assume it'll be "fine." I meet people who are shocked that I don't hang out at dog parks. Then, they assume my dogs are "dog aggressive" because I don't allow them to "play with their doggie friends." We have a looooong way to go to change public perception of canine behavior and potential danger. 

     Oh,,,so heart breaking....: (

     Excuse me for asking, but in a situation like this one who do you think would typically be the instigator in this scenario??? ........

There's really no way to tell that, Ruger1; about the only thing you can speculate on with any degree of accuracy is that the male was unlikely to have been the instigator.  Beyond that, it's equally possible that the newcomer started something that turned out to be way beyond what she could handle, or the established bitch took an opportunity to get rid of her 'competition'.  Major sad, no matter how it played out. 

What a tragic situation! To be honest, I'd rather break up 2 males fighting, than 2 females, but I digress. We can criticize this guy 'til we're blue in the face (for letting his dogs all out together), but it won't bring back the rescued female. I look at this situation, as someone who had little knowledge of the K9 world/hierarchy (though he was absolutely well-intentioned). I guess, if I were in the OP's shoes, I'd just educate him. This fellow will grieve, but sometimes the best lessons learned, are those that come from the worst circumstances. I feel for this guy...he tried to do right by this rescue dog (hey...I've been guilty of "good intentions" myself). Some good starts have bad endings. Laying blame on any one dog, really is yesterday's news. Dogs are primal/predatory creatures. I'ts all speculation what caused/created this scenario. Well socialized dogs will engage in self-preservation regardless...it's what dogs do.
My heart goes out to this fellow.

"I meet people who are shocked that I don't hang out at dog parks."

Dog parks are the stupidest idea ever.

"Excuse me for asking, but in a situation like this one who do you think would typically be the instigator in this scenario??? "

I'm hearing that the female that survived was coming into heat.

"We can criticize this guy 'til we're blue in the face..."

I'm not criticizing him; he simply didn't know ant better.  Hence the reason for this thread...

"I may be criticized for saying this, but there are dogs that should NEVER leave the shelter."

Very true but those dogs are few and far between and by all accounts, this dog was not one of them.  One of the cruelest things I have ever seen is a dog being labeled as "unadoptable" at a no-kill shelter where is languished in isolation in a cage for 12 years...ther is nothing "humane" about that.