by In what only can be considered an extremely sad story, a Phoenix father murdered his son with an ax on New Year’s Eve.
The Phoenix police were called by the 13 year-old boy’s mother when the father failed to return the child to the mother after his visitation period. The parents are divorced.
From ABC 15 in Phoenix:
When officers arrived, (the father) told them his son was not home. Officers asked more questions and the suspect allowed officers into his home, Martos said.
When police entered the home, they found 13-year-old David Sherrill deceased with signs of trauma. (Phoenix PD Sgt. Steve) Martos said the victim had stab wounds and lacerations to several parts of his body.
When homicide detectives arrived, (the father) confessed to killing his son with an ax and told officials he was scared of his son. He told police he believed his son was a demon and was going to eat him.
There is no Coalition to Stop Ax Violence and I doubt we are going to see calls for universal background checks for ax purchases.
This tragic story illustrates two things.
First, the tool used to commit murder is irrelevant. Young David Sherrill is just as dead from an ax as he would have been from a firearm. The only difference is that this murder was, in my opinion, more brutal.
Second, as with rampage shootings, it is mental illness that is the real issue. A sane person doesn’t go on a rampage shooting and a sane person doesn’t murder his own son with an ax.