A father shot his son amid a bitter divorce argument with his wife. After preparing a “kill list” of his spouse’s relatives, he later killed himself – said detectives investigating the case.
The 32-year-old father, Derek Thebo, allegedly threatened his wife that he would kill her and their children – as per the Police Protection Order with the Country Circuit Court in Michigan, USA.
In the court application, the killer’s wife wrote that ‘He threatened to kill me, my children, and my family, and to commit suicide afterward,’ said Fox 17 News.
‘He rattled off the names of my family members and said he knew where they worked, he knew when they were home, and that he could get to them and hurt them.’
Later, Thebo and his son, who was just 3 years old, were found dead at the location as the couple was arguing over the child’s custody.
On September 1, Lowell Township, Michigan, the father and the son were discovered dead in their house – Kent Country deputies.
From the PPO, it was clear that Katie, Thebo’s wife, who also had a daughter from her past relationship, expected Thebo to do something aggressive. Her suspicions became true right after two days of marriage with Thebo.
In the court applications, she described her husband’s personality as Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll’s character and revealed that every time they argue, he used to threaten her to kill her and her family – she wrote.
Not just that, he threatened her to kill her, her kids, her family and added that he would say that he will save their children “for last”
Thebo’s wife also added in the court filings that on mother’s day, she received a gift with a chilling message saying, “You will be my last’ – she wrote.
Back then, a judge issued a restraining order against Thebo. However, it was terminated on March 22 – stated the lawandcrime.com.
At the time, Derek refused and said he didn’t mean that and added. He loves nothing in this world more than his son – he stated in the court’s documents.
Derek used to serve in Michigan as a correction officer but got fired in 2019. Later he got another job which he quit himself in this year’s January. As per his wife’s statement, Derek’s situation got worse after that.
In the Protective order request, she wrote, ‘One time we were having a conversation about a news story where a woman drove her car off a bridge killing her and her children,’
‘He said something about the woman was probably trying to save them from something worse or protecting them from someone else. This led to him threatening that if I ever left him that he would protect his son from whatever I might expose him to the outside of our marriage.”
“To me, this was a threat to kill our son if I ever left him. He would repeat this threat when we got into an argument, and I would leave.”
Thebo’s wife is now appealing for funds and has launched a Go Fund Me page to cover the funeral expense for her son. So far, she has raised $25,000.
