Background: The Trappe, Pa., neighborhood where Kevin Wilson was found dead (Google Maps). Inset (left): Justin Wilson (Montgomery County District Attorney's Office). Inset (right): Kevin Wilson (Volpe Funeral Home).
A Pennsylvania man who told police that his father died by suicide is now accused of his murder.
Justin Wilson, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his father, 61-year-old Kevin Wilson, who died of a gunshot wound in February. According to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Justin Wilson told police at the time that his father shot himself. Three months after Kevin Wilson's death, prosecutors now say that autopsy results determined that the fatal gunshot wound could not have been self-inflicted. Authorities also said that the gun that fired the fatal shot was purchased by Justin Wilson a couple of weeks before the shooting.
Prosecutors said that Pennsylvania State Police responded to the Wilsons' home in Trappe at 12:19 a.m. on Feb. 1. Kevin Wilson's body was found in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. Troopers said there were signs of a struggle in the home, and Justin Wilson's clothes were stained with blood.
According to an affidavit obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Justin Wilson allegedly insisted to the troopers that he did not shoot his father. When the troopers examined Kevin Wilson's body, they observed him loosely gripping a Taurus handgun.
Justin Wilson allegedly told police that he and his father had argued while they were watching a UFC match together. As the verbal fight escalated, Justin Wilson said he pushed his father to shoot himself, calling him a "bum and a [expletive] loser." Despite the broken furniture and signs of a struggle, Justin Wilson denied that they had a physical fight, police said.
Further investigation revealed a strained relationship between the father and son, as family members told police after Kevin Wilson's death. Police said the family noticed Justin Wilson acting strangely, noting that he had a fixation on money and was known to lie. According to the affidavit, Justin Wilson had asked about the wealth he would inherit shortly after his father's death. One of his cousins told police that at Kevin Wilson's funeral, Justin Wilson told her that his father purportedly tried to use his own gun to kill himself, but it jammed, so he used his son's Taurus handgun.
Police said Kevin Wilson's siblings often heard from their brother, saying that he would call them in a panic about how to handle his son's erratic behavior. According to the affidavit, Justin Wilson bullied his father, calling him a "fat slob" who was not as successful as his siblings.
Prosecutors said Justin Wilson's stories were inconsistent following his father's death. An autopsy revealed that the gunshot wound to Kevin Wilson's head could not have been self-inflicted due to the "wound characteristics, stippling, placement and trajectory of the bullet wound, a lack of blood on the victim's hands and stippling on the victim's face." His manner of death was ruled a homicide.
An investigation into the Taurus handgun found in Kevin Wilson's hand at the scene was also linked back to his son. Prosecutors said Justin Wilson purchased the Taurus handgun on Jan. 10, just a couple of weeks before the Feb. 1 shooting.
Justin Wilson was arrested on Friday and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, tampering with evidence, false reports to law enforcement, and possessing an instrument of crime. He is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Facility. His next court date was scheduled for May 19.
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