An 11-year-old, described as having a youthful appearance, faced the court in handcuffs on Thursday, accused of fatally shooting his adoptive father following the confiscation of his Nintendo Switch.
Charged as an adult, Clayton Dietz stands accused of criminal homicide for allegedly killing his father while he slept on January 13—coincidentally, Clayton’s birthday—in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, just north of Harrisburg.
In a startling courtroom scene captured by WHP, the bespectacled youngster seemed to stumble as he made his way into the Perry County Courthouse, flanked by probation officers.
Prosecutors allege that Clayton, who became part of the Dietz family in 2018 through adoption, used a revolver found in his father’s safe to shoot 42-year-old Douglas Dietz.
Authorities revealed that the boy discovered the safe’s keys while searching for his game console, which had been confiscated and secured alongside the firearm by his parents.
Police were called to the residence around 3:20 a.m., finding Douglas Dietz with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and the young boy in a state of hysteria, according to court records.
Police responded to the home around 3:20 a.m. and found the Dietz with a gunshot wound to his head — and the 11-year-old screaming at the top of his lungs, according to court documents.
“Daddy’s dead,” the boy was shrieking and was overheard telling his mother “I killed Daddy,” documents said.
He allegedly admitted to “removing the gun from the safe, loading bullets into it and walking over to his father’s side of the bed” before “he pulled back the hammer and fired the gun at his father,” the affidavit stated.
After the shooting, police asked Clayton what he believed would occur when he fired the revolver.
He allegedly said he was mad and didn’t think about what would happen
Dietz’s wife told police she woke up to a loud noise and smelled something similar to fireworks.
When she nudged Dietz awake and he didn’t budge, she recalled hearing something like water dripping — only to realize it was his blood seeping through the sheets.
