TL:DR – 11-Year-Old Boy in Handcuffs at Court for Allegedly Killing Stepdad Over Nintendo Switch
- An 11-year-old boy, Clayton Dietz, faces murder charges for allegedly shooting his stepdad, Douglas Dietz, in Pennsylvania.
- The incident reportedly followed Clayton’s anger over his Nintendo Switch being confiscated.
- Charged as an adult with criminal homicide, lawyers seek to move his case to juvenile court.
- Witnesses describe a chaotic scene as Clayton claimed, “I killed Daddy,” after discovering his father’s body.
Boy, 11, led to court in handcuffs accused of shooting stepdad dead over Nintendo Switch | News World
This is the extraordinary moment an 11-year-old boy was led into court wearing handcuffs accused of murdering his stepdad after having his Nintendo Switch confiscated.
Clayton Dietz was flanked by probation officers who escorted him into a Pennsylvania courthouse to face his first hearing on Thursday.
The schoolboy has been charged as an adult with criminal homicide after fatally shooting his adoptive father, Douglas Dietz, 42, on January 13.
But lawyers representing the child have asked the judge to consider transferring his case back to a juvenile court, local outlet CBS 21 reported.
Clayton appeared emotionless as he was pulled into the building and was captured tripping over himself while appearing in court.
The boy has been accused of shooting Douglas in the head as he slept, using a gun he found in his parents’ bedroom at their home in Duncannon Borough.
Clayton Dietz, 11, handcuffed and escorted into a Pennsylvania court to face murder charges after allegedly shooting his father in the head as he slept (Picture: KOMO News)
Clayton (right) pictured with his mother, Jillian, and father, Douglas, who is accused of fatally shooting (Picture: GiveSendGo)
The shooting was allegedly prompted after Clayton became upset that his parents had taken away his Nintendo Switch.
The 11-year-old rummaged through a safe located in his parents’ bedroom, believing it contained his games console, but found a revolver instead.
Parents Douglas and Jillian celebrated their son’s birthday the evening before the fatal shooting.
According to court documents, Jillian told police she was woken by a loud noise and could smell something similar to fireworks.
Clayton, 11, became angry after his Nintendo Switch was previously taken away from him, according to police (Picture: Facebook)
When she attempted to wake her husband and got no response, she noticed what she thought was water dripping on the floor, which she later realised was blood, the documents said.
Clayton told officers he became angry after being told to go to bed, the affidavit said.
Police said the schoolboy entered his parents’ bedroom shouting ‘Daddy’s dead’, and officers at the scene reported hearing the boy tell his mother: ‘I killed Daddy’.
Following the hearing, Clayton’s defence lawyer told CBS 21 reporters his goal will be to ‘try and get him into juvenile court’.