Inset: Ethan James Graverson. Background: The home in Woodville, Wisconsin, where Graverson allegedly shot his father to death (WLUK).
A 22-year-old man allegedly killed his father during an argument at their Wisconsin home before showing little emotion while explaining to cops why he did it.
Ethan James Graverson stands accused of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his dad, who has not been publicly identified. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the Calumet County Sheriff's Office responded around 12:45 p.m. Friday to a home in Woodville after Graverson called 911 to say his father was "going crazy and he had to shoot him."
Deputies told Graverson to put down the weapon and come outside to talk with them. He came outside and reportedly said he shot his dad. When deputies asked him how many times, he allegedly said "I don't know, five, six maybe?" Cops apparently went inside to find the unresponsive victim sitting upright in a closet with gunshot wounds to his chest and groin area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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There were five shell casings from a 9 mm on the kitchen floor, the affidavit said.
Meanwhile, Graverson's mother, who is also the victim's wife, arrived at the scene after going to the grocery store and returning to a bunch of cop cars at her home. She said her son hit a rough patch when he had to move back in with his parents after his girlfriend dumped him about a year ago. He hadn't been quite the same since, his mother said, although there was nothing out of the ordinary on the day of the shooting.
When deputies asked if her husband and son got along, she responded, "oh my God did Ethan do something?" She said she knew of no ongoing arguments between the pair.
Graverson was taken to the sheriff's office. Deputies noted that as he waited to be interviewed, Graverson "made a smirk and a small chuckle."
"Ethan did not make any other type of emotion," deputies wrote.
During an interview after receiving his Miranda rights, Graverson told deputies about his day and the moments leading up to the shooting. He allegedly said he got done with work around noon and came home to find his father drinking.
"Ethan said [his father] told him that he loves him and to calm down, and by the end of it, he was threatening to fight him," the affidavit stated.
The suspect said he felt like his father was being condescending toward him and the two started to argue. Asked what they were arguing about, Graverson said, "just life in general," the affidavit stated. He said he grabbed a gun from the garage.
"It wasn't the first time I've grabbed the gun; it was the first time I used the gun," he allegedly said.
Investigators asked why he grabbed the gun and Graverson reportedly said he came to the realization that his dad was a "monster." Officials then tried to establish a timeline between when Graverson got home from work and when he allegedly shot his dad, noting that it didn't seem like much time had passed.
"There's been a lot of buildup and I didn't think it needed a whole lot of time," he allegedly said.
He stated his father said he was acting crazy.
"Ethan said he had enough of that," cops wrote.
Graverson said his dad tried to convince him to put down the gun and give him a hug. When that didn't work, Graverson said his dad wanted him to drop the weapon so they could fight "man to man."
It was at this point that Graverson allegedly fired the first shot. He claimed he was in fear for his life and aimed for the center mass. He said his dad reached forward, so he fired several more times.
"Six to seven maybe, it wasn't a full mag," Graverson allegedly told deputies when asked how many times he fired.
The defendant said he had been thinking of killing his dad since he was 10 or 11 but admitted his father told him he loved him his whole life.
Detectives then told him his father was dead.
"I don't know how to react to that," he said, per the affidavit.
Graverson is in the Calumet County Jail on a $1 million bond.
