Birthday Boy Clayton Dietz Allegedly Shoots Dad Over Nintendo Dispute

A very young teen, Clayton Dietz was arrested on suspicion of shooting his father, Douglas this week. Aged just 11, the boy allegedly shot his dad in cold blood at the family home in Duncannon Borough, Pennsylvania. Read on for more details about the true crime.

His Dad Was Asleep

The fatal shooting on January 13 allegedly happened when Clayton’s dad was asleep next to his wife. WGAL reported that the child allegedly got ahold of his father’s gun that was locked away. Then, he entered the room, and shot Douglas.

Shocked by the noise, his wife awoke and tried to wake her man, but he wasn’t responsive. At first, she thought the blood was damp from raindrops. Then, she made the shocking discovery.

Anger Over Nintendo Switch

What seems to have happened, is that it was the adopted child’s birthday, but his dad stopped him from playing with his Nintendo Switch. Apparently, when he asked for the Nintendo, he felt really “mad” with anger. Instead of the Nintendo Switch, he found a key and opened the place where the gun was stored.

Incredibly, the young boy didn’t seem to feel very remorseful, and told his mom that he’d “killed daddy.” Later, he apparently confessed the killing in the presence of police officers. Although Clayton Dietz is just 11, he was arrested and detained at the Perry County Prison. There will be a hearing on Thursday January 22.

Apparently, it was a good day and the family celebrated the birthday of Clayton before the true crime happened. The death which happened in the wee hours of the morning shocked the community.

Viewers Respond

When CBS21 News shared about it on YouTube, people had a chance to respond to this shocking story. One of them wrote, “Parents need to be charged. This isn’t normal behavior for an 11 year old. He must have learned it from either his home life or the internet.”

Well, there was also some anger about the report because it involved a child. Plus, there’s always speculation when kids and guns are involved. After all, one would think that the key would be better hidden to prevent such tragedies.

Charged As An Adult

For Clayton, he’s facing charges as an adult and that’s due to the law in Pennsylvania. Notably, that’s when the crime involves murder. However, there may be various avenues for him to be tried as a juvenile. If that happens, then he’s unlikely to serve a very long sentence, and would probably be out by the age of 21.

If that fails, and he is found guilty of the murder of Douglas Dietz, then Clayton could end up in prison as an adult. However, he won’t be able to serve life without parole because of his age.

What are your thoughts on this case? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all our true crime news and updates.