‘I killed Daddy’: 11-year-old son allegedly shot father for telling him to go to bed

DUNCANNON, Penn. (TCN) -- An 11-year-old boy has been charged with criminal homicide after allegedly fatally shooting his father, according to authorities.

WGAL reports officers responded to a home on Jan. 13 and found 42-year-old Douglas Dietz in his bedroom dead from a gunshot wound to the head. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the bedroom was connected to his son’s bedroom by a closet.

An investigation found that Deitz’s 11-year-old son, Clayton Dietz, was the suspect, WGAL reports. Dietz’s wife, Jillian, reportedly told authorities she was awakened by what she thought was fireworks and heard what she thought was water dripping. She then reportedly nudged her husband, but he didn’t move. She turned on the light and saw blood, and then Clayton Dietz allegedly entered the room and said, “Daddy’s dead” and “I killed Daddy.”

Clayton Dietz reportedly told investigators that he and his parents had had a good day; the previous day was his 11th birthday. He reportedly got angry when his father told him it was time to go to bed around midnight. He found the key to the safe in his father’s drawer and reportedly opened it to look for his Nintendo Switch, which he was angry his father had taken away. He allegedly admitted to officers that he loaded the gun and fired it at his sleeping father, WGAL reports.

He told investigators he was angry and had not thought about what would happen if he fired the gun.

KOMO reports that during the interview with Clayton Dietz, the boy reportedly had a large contusion above his left eye and a small laceration near the middle of his lower lip. In an interview with Jillian Dietz, KOMO reports she told authorities that Clayton said, “I killed my dad. I hate myself.”

Dietz and his wife adopted Clayton Dietz in 2018. WGAL reports that in an interview with a family friend, David Stuckey, they were told that the child had a history of behavioral issues at school. 

Stuckey was reportedly known as “Uncle David” to Clayton Dietz. Stuckey spoke highly of the Dietz parents and reportedly helped them draft a letter to the school board asking Clayton Dietz to be moved to a behavioral education center after the family noticed an increase in what Stuckey referred to as red flags. He studied clinical mental health and told WGAL that Clayton Dietz has autism, which escalated in 2025.

WGAL obtained the letter and reports that it contained information regarding inappropriate sexual comments Clayton Dietz had made to both male and female students. The letter reportedly also stated that other families had asked for Clayton Dietz to be moved “many times.”

Jillian Dietz allegedly told authorities she did not know where the key to the safe was kept, WGAL reports. Adam Garber of Ceasefire PA, an organization that stands against gun violence in Pennsylvania, told WHTM that the Dietz family had done everything right with gun safety and had kept the gun under lock and key. 

PennLive reports that Pennsylvania has a law, passed in 1995, that automatically sends juvenile offenders into the adult system, but that Clayton Dietz could eventually have his case moved to the juvenile system. According to the outlet, the state’s law says that attorneys for juvenile homicide suspects must petition the court to move their cases out of adult court after charges are filed, and that that process can take months.

WGAL reports Clayton Dietz is being held at the Perry County Prison and has been denied bail. His hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

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