LAKE SAINT LOUIS, Mo. — A man was charged with first-degree murder after his father was found dead Thursday inside his Lake St. Louis home.
Joseph M. Liszewski, 37, was also charged with armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Officers responded to the 100 block of Rue Grand Drive around 1:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving a 911 call from a woman who received concerning messages from Liszewski stating something "terrible" happened and he "did it" for her.
The woman went to his home to check on a friend after receiving the messages and found "blood and guns all over the place," a probable cause statement said.
The 911 caller said Liszewski told her his father had stepped on a shotgun and shot himself, the statement said. She said Liszewski said "he's fine, he's sleeping" and that he wasn't going to call 911.
Officers responded and spoke to Liszewski at the front door of the residence. They observed undisturbed and dried drops of blood on the front porch, the statement said. Liszewski told police "my dad hurt himself," and when asked where his dad was, he said, "I do not know."
Officers found large amounts of blood and drops in several areas inside the residence, and said there was "obviously a traumatic event that had happened in the kitchen" due to the amount of pooling and splattered blood.
The victim was found in the bedroom, covered with a comforter.
Liszewski was taken into custody and in an interview said his father "stepped on the shotgun, causing it to go off and hitting him in the face," the statement read. He said he and his father got into an argument between midnight and 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Liszewski later admitted to shooting his father with the shotgun in the kitchen.
Liszewsky told police that after he shot him, his dad said "you shot me, you shot me, you shot me," and Liszewski then "helped" his dad to the kitchen to wash his face and place towels on the wounds. Liszewski said he then "helped" him to the bedroom.
He did not call 911 and left the house around 5:30 a.m.
The probable cause statement said Liszewski was later seen on surveillance video at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. He was found to have his father's identification and credit cards in his wallet.
He returned to the residence after the casino where he contacted the woman about the incident, who later called 911.
Police did not release the name of the victim.
Liszewski is being held at the St. Charles County Jail. His bond was set at $1 million.
