Nathan A. Schweppe, 42, of the Festus area has been charged with murder and three other felonies for allegedly shooting and killing his 73-year-old father Saturday morning (Feb. 15) at a home they shared in the 1700 block of Burley Road south of Festus, authorities reported.
Schweppe was charged later that day with one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree domestic assault, each one a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, as well as two counts of armed criminal action, each one a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reported.
He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $750,000 cash-only bond, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies were called to the home at about 8:35 a.m., after Schweppe allegedly shot his father, Henry Schweppe, in the chest, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the report said.
Before the alleged shooting, Nathan Schweppe reportedly used a steel rod to strike his father on the right side of his face while he was sitting in a chair in the living room. Henry Schweppe was knocked unconscious by the blow, the probable-cause statement said.
After the elder Schweppe fell, his son reportedly left the room but returned with a kitchen knife and allegedly attempted to attack his father with it. However, a woman in the home stopped him, and he left the room again, the report said.
Then, the younger Schweppe allegedly returned to the living room with a .38-caliber revolver, pointed it into his father’s chest and fired one shot, according to the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office has not released a motive for the alleged assault.