HILLSBORO, Mo. — A man is facing several charges after police said he beat his father to death in Hillsboro, Missouri Thursday morning.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested a man after they responded to Tracy Lane for a disturbance.
Eric Smoot, 53, was pronounced dead shortly after 6 a.m., police said.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the disturbance was a domestic dispute between Nicholas Smoot and his girlfriend. At some point the Nicholas' father tried to intervene. Nicholas and his father, Eric Smoot, began fighting and it ended with the man beating his father to death. Police said he used a golf club and beer bottle.
Investigators said when they arrived at the home they found Smoot on the floor bleeding from his head. The son was found with a beer bottle in his hand, ready to strike his dad again, officials said.
No one in Eric Smoot’s neighborhood can believe something so violent happened to their neighbor.
“I just can’t believe it. Eric was a really nice guy and he’d do anything for you,” said neighbor Robin Schuh. “That’s the thing. I mean don’t know how you can do that to your parent. I’m speechless."
“It’s really so sad. I just saw him on Wednesday," said neighbor Kayla Barrios. "He was such a nice guy. He had many horses and pets. He’d always let me play with them. What happened to him is so surreal,”
Smoot was a Hillsboro firefighter for 33 years before he retired five years ago.
“He was a good friend to a lot of people," said Hillsboro Fire Protection District Chief Brian Gaudet. "He worked with us for a lot of years. It especially made it tough because several of our guys responded to the call to his home. It’s been a tough day for sure."
Thursday afternoon, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged 27-year-old Nicholas Smooth with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and second-degree domestic assault.
According to police, Nicholas Smoot is also believed to have assaulted his girlfriend that lived with him, causing injuries to her face and arms. Court documents said he also bit her nose. A witness told investigator Eric tried to stop his son's attack on the woman.
Nicholas Smoot is being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of both victims during this difficult time,' The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.
