A father from Michigan dialed 911 to report a supposed home invasion after allegedly taking the lives of his fiancée and her two teenage sons on January 27.
According to Local 12, Charles Broomfield, aged 44, faces charges of first-degree murder for the fatal shootings of Jacqueline Neill and her sons, Cameron Kilpatrick, 15, and Michael Kilpatrick, 13.
Though Broomfield initially claimed that two intruders were responsible for the tragic events, investigators found evidence at the Grand Rapids residence that suggested a case of domestic violence.
On that morning, around 7:40 a.m., Broomfield called 911, as noted in a probable cause affidavit acquired by Law&Crime.
Dispatchers described him as being in a state of hysteria, so overwhelmed that he struggled to provide any information other than the address of the home.
The Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) officers arrived to find Broomfield standing calmly near Neill’s body, according to reports.
Police found Neil deceased on the main level. Neill’s two sons were found fatally shot in their bedrooms. They located Broomfield’s biological 5-year-old child unharmed on the second floor.
According to the affidavit, Broomfield’s narrative quickly unraveled under forensic scrutiny. Investigators found several discrepancies with Broomfield’s version of events.
Broomfield initially claimed he had been upstairs when two armed men broke in to confront Neill. He reportedly told authorities he rushed to his bedroom to retrieve a firearm from his safe, but one of the intruders grabbed it from him.
He then allegedly claimed he heard gunshots downstairs, but the suspects fled before he could intervene.
While Broomfield claimed he grabbed his gun from his bedroom, the weapon had been in an outdoor lockbox, the affidavit stated. Investigators found a single set of footprints in the snow leading to and from the lockbox.
The lanyard that held the key to the lockbox of the forensics-confirmed weapon read, “#1 Dad.”
Broomfield also implied the shooting had just occurred when he called 911, but paramedics determined the victims had been dead for at least 40 minutes.
Faced with the physical evidence and the gaps in his story, Broomfield reportedly confessed to the murders after being read his Miranda rights.
A motive has not been publicly released.
Broomfield is being held at Kent County Jail with no bond, charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is scheduled for a February 10 court date.
[Feature Photo: Michael Kirkpatrick, Jacqueline Neil, and Christopher Kirkpatrick/Handout via FOX 17]
