FESTUS, Mo. — Investigators believe a man attacked his father and ultimately killed him in the home they shared in Jefferson County.
Deputies responded to the Schweppe family home in the 1700 block of Burley Road in Festus at about 8:35 a.m. Saturday. They arrived to find 73-year-old Henry Schweppe suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police took the man’s 42-year-old son, Nathan Schweppe, into custody following the shooting.
According to the probable cause statement, Nathan Schweppe lived with his mother and father in the home. Police stated the elder Schweppe was sitting in a chair in the living room when his son walked up and hit him in the head with a steel piece of rebar, leaving him unconscious on the floor.
Nathan’s mother told police she witnessed the whole incident.
Nathan Schweppe walked out of the room and came back with a kitchen knife. His mother said he tried to stab his father, but she interfered.
Their son walked out of the room again and this time came back with a .38 caliber revolver. According to court documents, he walked over to his father and fired one shot into his chest.
Nathan Schweppe was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and first-degree domestic assault. He’s being held on a $750,000 cash-only bond.
