Penn. boy, 11, ‘shot adoptive dad on birthday after Switch taken away’
Clayton Dietz, 11, reportedly told his mother the handcuffs “were hurting” as he was escorted into court after he admitted to shooting his father over a game system
The adopted 11-year-old son of a Perry County man, who shot his sleeping father early Tuesday after being “mad” that the parent took his Nintendo Switch away for the night, was seen in court for the first time on Thursday.
Clayton Dietz, who celebrated his 11th birthday in January, faces homicide charges in the killing of his father, Douglas Dietz, 42. Under Pennsylvania law, the youngster will be prosecuted as an adult, potentially making him among the state’s youngest defendants.
He was seen in court, wearing glasses, with his hands behind his back in handcuffs and “appeared to be tripping over himself.” CBS 21’s Lily Sexton was at the courthouse and “overheard Dietz telling his mother that the handcuffs were hurting him.”
The incident unfolded after his parents went to bed on January 13. Clayton allegedly retrieved the key to his father’s gun safe from a dresser drawer in their bedroom. Clayton claimed he was searching for his Nintendo Switch, which his father had taken away earlier, court documents show.
Upon accessing the safe, he discovered a revolver. He allegedly loaded the weapon himself, approached his father’s side of the bed, and discharged the firearm at his sleeping dad.
Officers responded to the family’s residence at 40 South Market Street in Duncannon at 3:20 a.m.and took Clayton into custody.
The child apparently told investigators that he had enjoyed the day with his parents, during his birthday celebration. His adoptive mother, Jillian, explained to authorities that the family had remained awake until midnight to sing “Happy Birthday” as his actual birthday began Tuesday.
Clayton Dietz pictured here with his parents (Image: Instagram)
However, when his father told him to go to sleep after midnight and surrender the Switch, rage overtook him, according to court documents. When authorities asked what he anticipated would happen after shooting his father, he replied that “he was mad and had not thought about that,” court documents state.
Jillian and Douglas adopted Clayton in 2018, when the child was three years old. David Stuckey, a family friend who considers himself the “boy’s uncle,” said that the mother, Jilian, just had her entire world turned upside down in an instant.
Stuckey disclosed that he had previously written a letter to Clayton’s school requesting his relocation to a behavioral education center due to increasing concerns about Clayton’s interactions with other students.
“In the letter, I was speaking to the tune of the school violence that we’re seeing and that some of these subtle behaviors could eventually lead to a situation,” Stuckey explained.
The family friend revealed that whilst they believed the boy might have autism, the family had secured specialized education, interventions, and utilized every available resource, but “never saw this coming.”
Pennsylvania state law mandates that defense attorneys representing juvenile murder defendants file petitions requesting that their cases be moved from adult court after charges are filed. The legal proceedings could extend for several months.
Throughout this time, Clayton has been refused bail, given the gravity of the charges against him, and continues to be held at a juvenile detention facility, according to the district attorney.
