11YO Shot Sleeping Adoptive Father Dead For Taking Away His Nintendo Switch On His birthday

[Sugar Cookie]

11-year-old Clayton Dietz has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of 42-year-old Douglas Dietz, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Sometime in the late hours of Monday or the early morning hours of Tuesday, Douglas Dietz had taken away his son's Nintendo Switch, according to court records reviewed by PennLive.com. The family stayed up until midnight to sing "Happy Birthday" to the boy, but then his father told him he needed to go to bed.

This apparently upset the child.

After his parents went to bed and appeared to fall asleep, Clayton Dietz went into their bedroom and, inside a dresser drawer, grabbed the key to his father's safe, the court documents said, believing his video game console might be in there. When he extracted the key, inserted it into the safe, and opened it up, he found a revolver.

According to authorities, he loaded bullets into the gun, pulled back the hammer, walked over to his sleeping father, and fired.

The child's mother awoke to a bang and a smell similar to fireworks, she told police. She tried to nudge her husband awake, but to no avail, the local outlet reported. She then thought she heard water dripping — so she rose to her feet to turn on the light and see what it was.

That is when she reportedly noticed her husband was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.

The child apparently realized what he had done around the same time, authorities said. "My dad's dead," he is said to have screamed as he ran downstairs. "I killed my dad. I hate myself."

The boy reportedly had a bloody lip and a contusion above his left eye, though how he got those injuries was not explained.

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Boy, 11, shot sleeping dad dead for taking away his Nintendo Switch on his birthday: Cops

An 11-year-old boy fatally shot his adoptive father after the man took away his Nintendo Switch video game console on his birthday, Pennsylvania authorities say.

lawandcrime.com

Allegedly...

The boy is autistic

He may have been abused by the adoptive parents.

 

[Kitsune Faye]

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Continue reading

Boy, 11, shot sleeping dad dead for taking away his Nintendo Switch on his birthday: Cops

An 11-year-old boy fatally shot his adoptive father after the man took away his Nintendo Switch video game console on his birthday, Pennsylvania authorities say.

lawandcrime.com

Allegedly...

The boy is autistic

He may have been abused by the adoptive parents.

If so, get him help. If not, adoptive mom BEAT HIS ASS for killing her husband in cold blood. Still wrong, but I understand why she did so after seeing that kid’s handiwork over something so trivial.

 

[Kitsune Faye]

And I meant to mention before I had to take Jacob to urgent care that the adoptive mom needs to be charged with child abuse for beating him for killing her husband if that was the case. As I stated before, I get it, because out of grief she snapped, but she still needs to be charged for that. No matter if you see blood if your minor child kills your spouse, you don’t beat them. You run as far away from them, and let the laws handle the kid.

 

[GingerSnap99]

We’ll keep seeing stuff like this because autism has been grossly over diagnosed. They’re handing out this diagnosis like candy to 1 and 2-year-olds. The problem is—if you look at a checklist of sign/symptoms of autism in a toddler and then signs/symptoms Schizoaffective Disorder in a toddler, they overlap. They’re diagnosing these psych kids with autism and then when they’re 5-6 they start hearing things that aren’t there and talking to imaginary people. Killing animals. I’ve worked with a 4 year old who was trying to kill animals (drug exposed and adopted).

All of the kids born on methadone turn out to be mentally ill. I’m old enough now to have seen the methodone babies I worked with as infants grow up into early teens—and they’re not okay.

So while this kid has an autism diagnosis, it’s likely he was misdiagnosed too young and then they ignored the scary symptoms as he got older. I had a high schooler in Florida make a “kill list” a couple of years ago and the school administration called it “a manifestation of his autism.” No, it is not.

Every school shooter has an autism diagnosis from when they were little—it’s gotten out of hand.

 

[thuumpr]

What kid doesn't enjoy a realistic first person shooter video (FPV) game?

 

[Alxprkrkrls]

We’ll keep seeing stuff like this because autism has been grossly over diagnosed. They’re handing out this diagnosis like candy to 1 and 2-year-olds. The problem is—if you look at a checklist of sign/symptoms of autism in a toddler and then signs/symptoms Schizoaffective Disorder in a toddler, they overlap. They’re diagnosing these psych kids with autism and then when they’re 5-6 they start hearing things that aren’t there and talking to imaginary people. Killing animals. I’ve worked with a 4 year old who was trying to kill animals (drug exposed and adopted).

All of the kids born on methadone turn out to be mentally ill. I’m old enough now to have seen the methodone babies I worked with as infants grow up into early teens—and they’re not okay.

So while this kid has an autism diagnosis, it’s likely he was misdiagnosed too young and then they ignored the scary symptoms as he got older. I had a high schooler in Florida make a “kill list” a couple of years ago and the school administration called it “a manifestation of his autism.” No, it is not.

Every school shooter has an autism diagnosis from when they were little—it’s gotten out of hand.

But I also think people fail to rationalize the VERY broad spectrum autism has, and that many are very high functioning and have a complete understanding of right or wrong.
My husband is not great with feelings and has very niche special interests but has a successful career and lots of friends. My son is developmentally delayed, speech issues, hyper fixations, and is still learning right from wrong (understands the fundamentals)
I wonder if this is just an 11 year old brain acting on impulse and nothing else.

 

[GingerSnap99]

But I also think people fail to rationalize the VERY broad spectrum autism has, and that many are very high functioning and have a complete understanding of right or wrong.
My husband is not great with feelings and has very niche special interests but has a successful career and lots of friends. My son is developmentally delayed, speech issues, hyper fixations, and is still learning right from wrong (understands the fundamentals)
I wonder if this is just an 11 year old brain acting on impulse and nothing else.

Kids can be taught right from wrong, but inferencing goes beyond that. It’s the forward thinking of “if I do this, I could get arrested, I could go to prison, I wouldn’t be able to have a family and a career, etc.” Kids can have right/wrong but no grip on long-term cause/effect.

I’ve got kids well into middle school who aren’t on the spectrum and can’t tell me what they ate for breakfast 90 minutes ago. You’d be surprised at how many people (adults included) live within a 3 hour window of time—they can’t tell you what they ate 2 hours ago and have no idea what they’re doing at home that evening. This is also why the average IQ in prison is 75–they lack inferencing skills and can’t “look ahead.” If you make someone angry and they don’t have those skills, they’ll just act in the moment and on impulse.

This definitely wasn’t out-of-nowhere. His family and teachers have probably been seeing signs for years. Autism doesn’t make people malicious. People with autism don’t have the capacity to plan to hurt someone’s feelings or make them sad—because they can’t switch perspectives and imagine how others feel. That’s part of what makes autism, autism. So take a school shooter, for example—they want to inflict pain, hurt, sadness. If you have the ability to understand that shooting people will inflict that pain and sadness, then you don’t have autism. You’ve got mental illness. Now can you “train” and coach them to learn the names of these feelings and have them answer questions like “well how do you think he feels when you say that?” Sure you can. But it’s scripted—it’s not understood.

 

[sgr1966]

Maybe when he shot the gun it somehow recoiled back and hit himself in the mouth with it. I mean have you ever shot a gun. It can happen especially a little kid handling all revolver. I don't know why you're all saying like he was beat by them.

 

[Kitsune Faye]

Maybe when he shot the gun it somehow recoiled back and hit himself in the mouth with it. I mean have you ever shot a gun. It can happen especially a little kid handling all revolver. I don't know why you're all saying like he was beat by them.

Right, but given the kid’s adopted, there may be abuse at play, whether for the length he’d been with his adoptive parents, and the bruises might be from a beating he took before or after the homicide. If the adoptive mother beat him after the homicide, while I understand why she did so, she needs to be arrested for child abuse if that’s the case. And the boy needs a massive amount of help here.

 

[runninfawn]

Right, but given the kid’s adopted, there may be abuse at play, whether for the length he’d been with his adoptive parents, and the bruises might be from a beating he took before or after the homicide. If the adoptive mother beat him after the homicide, while I understand why she did so, she needs to be arrested for child abuse if that’s the case. And the boy needs a massive amount of help here.

you make it sound like adopted kids are more likely to be abused .. i adopted 6 of them and some of my kids also adopted kids and i know lots of parents with adopted kids and not one of them were ever abused ever because imo they are children of your heart, chosen ones and are the biggest blessings to the parents and i also know lots of bios that abuse their own children i saw multiple examples of that being a foster parent... and yes it is a human re-action (at least for me it is and i am not a violent person) .. to do anything in our power to retain a person that has committed a violent crime whether a kid or a senior or any age in between it doesn't matter..

 

[GingerSnap99]

Maybe when he shot the gun it somehow recoiled back and hit himself in the mouth with it. I mean have you ever shot a gun. It can happen especially a little kid handling all revolver. I don't know why you're all saying like he was beat by them.

I agree with this theory—and saw some other people say the same thing on another site. It was a revolver and he’s 11–you know he didn’t straighten and lock his elbows when he shot it. He likely had elbows bent and was bending down close, trying to be quiet. Probably recoiled and the barrel got him in the eye and hammer caught his lip.

 

[Kitsune Faye]

you make it sound like adopted kids are more likely to be abused .. i adopted 6 of them and some of my kids also adopted kids and i know lots of parents with adopted kids and not one of them were ever abused ever because imo they are children of your heart, chosen ones and are the biggest blessings to the parents and i also know lots of bios that abuse their own children i saw multiple examples of that being a foster parent... and yes it is a human re-action (at least for me it is and i am not a violent person) .. to do anything in our power to retain a person that has committed a violent crime whether a kid or a senior or any age in between it doesn't matter..

They are, alongside foster kids. I spent my school years, and the stories I heard enraged me. I still keep in contact with many. But I also had friends who were in the best adoptive/foster homes as well. I was surrounded by more abusive/unfit bio and adoptive/foster parents than good ones. Ik you love your kiddos with every fiber of your being, and I know they’re beautiful kids, but as an abuse and DV survivor whose friends have also seen the worst of humanity staring with our own families, my worldview is hardened due to personal experience. I hope the kid wasn’t abused, but I’m way too hardened by experience to not be realistic.

 

[runninfawn]

i have seen quite a lot in my 80+ years starting with corporal punishment was the acceptable way not only in homes but also in schools... i have seen some of the best ways to raise chidren (starting with my childhood after my abusive mother and my dad split up and was raised in a single parent with a father being the only male having sole custody in our town and he never re-married as he didn't want taking a chance his kids would be abused) to having friends that were seriously abused, then watching parents abuse their own kids while i couldn't carry a fetus beyond the first tri... then to fostering and yes there are still bad foster homes but when cps does their job and pops in unanounced and visually examine the children and talk to them not in front of the foster parents those foster homes get closed down fast.....and it never harden me but yes made me watchful and ready to intervene.. but maybe because in canada once you adopt a child you totally provide for that child without financial help from anyone it makes a dif. on how they are treated...but yes along the way some people adopted kids to have unpaid labour but with kid's rights that is something that is nearly unheard of anymore and that is greatttttttttttt

 

[Symmachus]

He killed his father as a reaction to the father taking away his video games. I understand that 11-year-olds have a very fragmented version of the long-term picture, if they have such a picture at all. But this is just a horrible outcome over something as small as video game access.

Parents should teach their kids to recognize consequences for actions, discipline, and why those are good for people in the long-term. Work hard, and communicate to kids on their level, why things happen and how something not-good right now can be better for them later. I wish I had a better recognition of this when I was younger.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

in Pennsylvania foster parents are allowed to have guns in their home as long as they are not loaded and locked securely. The ammunition must also be stored separately.

The same for adoptive parents:

Pennsylvania adoptive parents are allowed to have guns in their home, but they must adhere to specific safety and storage regulations mandated by the state's Department of Human Services and adoption agencies to ensure the safety of the child
.
While Pennsylvania law generally does not prohibit legal gun ownership in a home with children, the adoption process involves strict scrutiny, and safe storage is required.

Key Requirements for Adoptive Parents with Firearms in PA:

Secure Storage: Firearms and ammunition must be stored securely. Specific requirements often include storing guns in a locked cabinet, gun safe, or using trigger locks.

Separation of Ammo: Ammunition is typically required to be stored in a separate, locked container.

Accessibility: Firearms must be stored in a way that makes them inaccessible to children, often in a locked room or safe.

Agency Policies: Adoption agencies will likely require a safety plan regarding firearms during the home study and inspection process.

Prohibitions: If a parent is subject to a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order that prohibits firearm possession, they cannot have guns in the home.

Important Considerations:

Home Inspections: Adopting parents should be prepared for home inspections where the storage of firearms will be verified.

Concealed Carry: While owning guns is allowed, some agencies may have specific policies regarding concealed carry, and it is recommended to be transparent with the agency during the process.

Google Search

www.google.com

I asked - are any consideration in place if children have severe behavioral or emotional issues.

The answer -

When children in a Pennsylvania home have severe behavioral or emotional issues, additional safety layers and legal considerations apply to the presence of firearms:

Enhanced Safety Assessments

• Lethal Means Counseling: Adoption and foster agencies, as well as healthcare providers, may conduct specific "lethal means safety counseling". This involves assessing whether a child’s specific behavioral or mental health risks (such as suicidal ideation or severe aggression) necessitate the temporary or permanent removal of firearms from the home, even if they are locked.
• Behavioral Risk Screening: Home study practitioners and clinicians specifically screen for situations where children may be at a high risk of self-harm or injury to others. If a child is known to have "extinction bursts" or high aggression, unsecured or even standard-locked firearms are viewed as an exponential increase in risk for the family and visiting therapists.

Stricter Storage Implementation

• Inaccessibility During Treatment: For children receiving home-based services (like ABA therapy), all weapons must be securely locked and entirely inaccessible to the child and any other persons during the session.
• Key and Combination Security: Beyond standard locking, it is critically recommended that keys or safe combinations be kept completely hidden and away from children who may have the persistence or behavioral drive to seek them out.

Agency-Specific Authority

Individual agencies have the authority to set requirements that exceed state minimums. If a child’s behavioral profile is severe, an agency may require a signed agreement that no firearms will be kept on the premises as a condition of that specific placement.

Google Search

www.google.com

 

[GingerSnap99]

Super interesting info in this article that came out—it’s an interview with a close family friend. The parents and school had seen a huge change in his behavior and they were trying to (or maybe they already had) move him into an emotional/behavioral disturbed classroom at school. NOT an autism class—an EBD classroom. I have seen this quite a bit with boys in this age bracket; their behaviors get out of control as they approach and begin going through puberty.

I just worked with a student in the past 18 months who is exactly the same age and truly lost his mind. He went from a regular classroom to a special program outside of the public school system. On two occasions he pulled feces out of his pants and put it up to the faces of classmates. Showed classmates a picture of a dead child (from some kind of war or explosion). Showed porn to classmates. Came out and said he planned to rape someone on an overnight class trip. Offered school staff $50 for oral. At 11. The program he moved to—the students there have done some very serious things to end up there. One of them was there because he had been having sex with his dog.

Anyways, I could go on and on about the crazy crap I’ve encountered. Point is, even shit parenting wouldn’t cause of these behaviors. These children are sociopathic and by the time they do something, like shoot their parent in the head, 20 people who have worked with the kid over the years have spoken up and said “this kid will kill someone one day.” But there isn’t any sort of specific help with these situations. Everyone in special ed can give you a list of future serial killers, but there aren’t places to send these kids. They don’t have psych facilities like they used to. Funding is continuously cut in special education, mental health, and research. The general public often refuses to believe that these things happen—they blame parenting, lack of God in the home, and all sorts of other things that have nothing to do with it. Everyone understands and accepts that people can have sick and diseased hearts, lungs, kidneys, etc—but it’s not widely accepted that brains are also often sick and diseased.

Anyways, here’s the article:

Family friend: 11-year-old accused in Perry County death has autism, close bond with family

A close family friend, David Stuckey, as known as "Uncle David," says he supported the Dietz family for nearly a decade and had a unique bond with 11-year-old Clayton.

www.wgal.com

 

[Blizzard]

Took the toy AWAY for the child's birthday?

> The boy reportedly had a bloody lip and a contusion above his left eye, though how he got those injuries was not explained.

I got no trust at all for finding an 11-year-old with a verified busted-in face (and possibly being psychologically abused). No trust at all. But I don't have enough facts to say one thing or the other as to what may have precipitated the incident.