WARRINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (TCD) — A 25-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally shooting his father in 2019 because he ignored him.
York County District Attorney Dave Sunday announced Feb. 8 that a judge sentenced Wyatt Dettinger to a mandatory term of life in prison for the first-degree murder of his father, Duane Dettinger. He was also sentenced to six to 12 months for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, which he will serve concurrently.
A jury convicted Wyatt Dettinger of the charges in December 2023 following a weeklong trial.
According to the York Daily Record, Wyatt Dettinger shot his father twice, once through his bedroom wall and once straight at him with a .243-caliber rifle on July 22, 2019.
Wyatt Dettinger reportedly admitted in court that he wasn’t happy with his living situation with the victim. The York Daily Record reports the defendant said his father “never paid attention” to him. Wyatt Dettinger’s father would allegedly go on his computer all day, drink alcohol, and bring home various women.
The defendant’s parents reportedly divorced when he was a child. According to the York Daily Record, the defendant decided to live with his father because he lived closer to his friends, and he disliked his mother’s boyfriend.
On the day of his father’s death, Wyatt Dettinger said his car was having issues, he became upset, and was experiencing suicidal ideation, the York Daily reports.
Wyatt Dettinger reportedly stated, “I lost my cool.”
While he was home, Dettinger said he tossed his phone into the television, grabbed his hunting rifle, and used it to hit the television, according to the York Daily Record. He then reportedly threatened to kill himself with the gun.
Wyatt Dettinger’s father walked over to his son and tried to get him to stop. When his father left, Wyatt Dettinger reportedly shot the rifle through the wall, hitting the victim.
According to the York Daily Record, the defendant said his father began making “gurgling noises” shortly after, so he shot him again to stop his pain because he “didn’t want to hear that.”
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