Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

11-year-old U.S. boy charged with killing father after being told to go to bed
Global News ^ | 1/16/2026 | Rachel Goodman

Posted on 01/16/2026 4:44:18 PM PST by simpson96

An 11-year-old boy has been charged with criminal homicide after his father was fatally shot in the family’s home.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, the boy had his Nintendo Switch taken away shortly before the shooting, and was ordered to go to bed.

In court documents obtained by local NBC News affiliate WGAL News 8, police identified Clayton Dietz, of Perry County, Pa., as the suspect in his father’s death. According to ABC Eyewitness News, police at the scene said they overheard Clayton tell his mother, “I killed Daddy.”

The incident occurred on Clayton’s birthday.

Douglas Dietz, 42, died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the documents.

Dietz was found in his bed in the master bedroom he shared with his wife, which is connected to his son’s bedroom by a closet, according to the affidavit.

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. According to the court filings, Dietz’s wife told police she was woken from her sleep by a loud noise and the smell of something that reminded her of fireworks. She said she tried to nudge her husband awake, but he didn’t move, according to the legal filing. She heard what she assumed was water dripping, but upon turning on the light, she discovered it was blood.

Police said Clayton came into the room and said, “Daddy’s dead.”

(Excerpt) Read more at globalnews.ca ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: adoptedkid; adoption; claytondietz; culturerot; murder; nintendo; pennsylvania; videogames

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you.


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 next last
To: Harmless Teddy Bear

I have.

Imho sociopaths are born not made.


21 posted on 01/16/2026 5:25:01 PM PST by Chickensoup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

I wonder if this child was “imported” for adoption, and if so, from where.

Eleven is too old not to know the consequences of shooting someone. He should never be let out of confinement.


22 posted on 01/16/2026 5:40:35 PM PST by Chewbarkah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sopo
By the time you have reached four if you have not been properly socialize you probably will not be.

It can be done but it is a great deal of work.

Exposure to alcohol and drugs in the womb do not make you evil.

23 posted on 01/16/2026 5:43:29 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (The tree accused of killed Sonny Bono was planted.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Chickensoup
Babies are entirely self centered because they are babies.

It is the duty of parents to turn them into empathetic children by teaching and modeling.

In my equally humble opinion people who want to say that a child is just "born evil" are disinclined to put in the work.

24 posted on 01/16/2026 5:49:11 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (The tree accused of killed Sonny Bono was planted.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Tim Walz has perfectly nice parents and siblings that turned out fine.

But he’s a grifting pos.


25 posted on 01/16/2026 5:56:44 PM PST by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Chickensoup

Genetic influences on sociopathy are significant, especially among siblings and identical twins.


26 posted on 01/16/2026 6:01:16 PM PST by doc maverick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Valpal1

I’ll say it again. Tampon jerks his kid around like he’s a rag doll.
His wife cringes when he touches her.
His daughter has stated she has “psychiatric issues.”
Walz is a criminal, a liar and a narcissist, has anger issues and is delusional.
He believes he should be president and now he’s getting off on running his own little country where Donald Trump is not president…..he is.


27 posted on 01/16/2026 6:12:15 PM PST by doc maverick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

The kid played too many violent video games. They are addictive and truly evil as they desensitize people to violence and death.


28 posted on 01/16/2026 6:16:35 PM PST by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Iron Munro

“...He’s a democrat already!!...”

Yep. He’s a future potential communist RAT POTUS candidate...


29 posted on 01/16/2026 6:20:42 PM PST by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

The article appears to be written by an 8 year old.


30 posted on 01/16/2026 6:43:45 PM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

Here’s a better description of what happened:

Police were dispatched to the family’s residence at about 3.20am, after a report of an “unresponsive male”. The news site says that officers found a 42-year-old man named Douglas Dietz dead in bed from a gunshot wound to the head.

The victim was reportedly discovered in the bedroom he shared with his wife, which court documents say is connected to their son’s bedroom by a closet.

The news outlet states that after investigating, authorities identified the man’s 11-year-old son as the suspect.

Police reported it was the child’s birthday, and he had entered the bedroom shouting: “Daddy’s dead.” Troopers at the scene also reportedly said that they heard the son tell his mother: “I killed Daddy.”

Police said the shooting occurred after the couple had gone to bed shortly past midnight. The child reportedly told authorities that he had had a good day with his parents, but the documents reportedly state that he became “mad” when his father told him it was time to go to bed.

The affidavit, cited by WGAL News 8, reportedly states that when officers asked the boy what had happened, he replied: “I shot somebody.” The sworn police statement also said: “He admitted that he had someone in mind whom he was going to shoot, whom he identified as his father.”

According to the news outlet, the court document says that the boy told police he found a key to the gun safe his father’s drawer in his parent’s bedroom. He reportedly unlocked it while attempting to locate his Nintendo Switch – which had previously been taken away from him – and found a gun.

The son then allegedly admitted to “removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father’s side of the bed”, according to the affidavit. “He pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father,” the affidavit adds.

When asked what he believed would happen when he fired the gun, the boy responded that he was “mad” and that he had “not thought about that”, according to investigators.

WGAL News 8 reported that the child was denied bail after being taken into custody. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for 22 January.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/16/boy-allegedly-shoots-father-nintendo-switch


31 posted on 01/16/2026 6:49:52 PM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

That poor wife.


32 posted on 01/16/2026 6:56:50 PM PST by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus….)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Valpal1
Which is different than being a sociopath or whatever this boy is.

I will also say that at a certain point people begin to make themselves.

Mom and Dad guide you during your first four years and friends begin to guide you afterwards but what you are as an adult is what you have decided to be.

The good part about that is you are not stuck as you are now. If you want to be different, you can. It is just going to be a whole lot of work.

33 posted on 01/16/2026 7:08:20 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (The tree accused of killed Sonny Bono was planted.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: fatima; Fresh Wind; st.eqed; xsmommy; House Atreides; Nowhere Man; PaulZe; brityank; Physicist; ...

Pennsylvania Ping!

Please ping me with articles of interest.

FReepmail me to be added to the list.

34 posted on 01/16/2026 7:11:15 PM PST by lightman (Beat the Philly fraud machine the Amish did onest, ja? Nein, zweimal they did already!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

Waiting for the trendy new “He’s on the spectrum” defense.


35 posted on 01/16/2026 7:12:01 PM PST by LittleBillyInfidel (This tagline has been formatted to fit the screen. Some content has been edited.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Harmless Teddy Bear

“ Mom and Dad guide you during your first four years”.

Which is why day care is such a bad idea.


36 posted on 01/16/2026 7:12:11 PM PST by Freee-dame (The left never dreamed that Trump would be back in the White House in 2025. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: EvilCapitalist

Maybe a meeting to meet Jesus should be arranged. Feed the kid minds with mayhem, blood, guts, elevation of personal feelings above reason, and plain ol’ sin, and patricide / matricide will occur


37 posted on 01/16/2026 7:14:20 PM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and harder to find.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Harmless Teddy Bear

no the sin nature makes you evil from conception if you want to speak in those terms. Can regions of the brain be affected by outside influences during gestation, can you doubt it? Like impulsiveness?


38 posted on 01/16/2026 7:38:56 PM PST by sopo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Iron Munro

Probably not, being from Perry County, but I could agree he’s a psycho!!


39 posted on 01/16/2026 8:03:30 PM PST by bantam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

They didn’t explain the marks on the boy’s face. Was he being abused?


40 posted on 01/16/2026 9:08:04 PM PST by roving
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson