Ind. man accused of shooting, partially dismembering his father because he thought he was a robot
12/22/2022 2:36 pm PST
MITCHELL, Ind. (TCD) -- A 53-year-old man faces 10 charges after he allegedly fatally shot and dismembered his father and left the body on a lawn.
On Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 6:05 p.m., Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call to conduct a welfare check on 73-year-old Rodney Hays, who lived on the 500 block of Easy Street. When deputies arrived, they reportedly found Shawn Hays "hastily attempting to exit the property in a silver Chevrolet pickup."
Deputies reportedly stopped the truck "due to the nature of the call" and saw Shawn Hays had a shotgun in the vehicle with him. One deputy reportedly spoke with Hays as a means of distracting him, while the other took the shotgun.
Hays allegedly got into a "brief struggle" with the deputies but was ultimately detained while deputies conducted the welfare check on the property. Law enforcement officials came across Rodney Hays' body in the yard, and Shawn Hays was taken into custody.
Lawrence County court case records show Hays faces several criminal charges, including murder, abuse of a corpse, domestic battery, aggravated battery, and more.
According to the probable cause affidavit cited by WXIN-TV, Shawn Hays allegedly wrote troubling posts on Facebook about how he believed his father was kidnapped or killed and replaced with "a robot that looks like my dad."
While speaking with investigators, Hays allegedly said his father was a "robot that looks human” and he "had to shoot at it and destroy it."
Rodney Hays reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to his head and chest. His body had also allegedly been partially dismembered and mutilated.
MORE:
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.
