Jeremiah Estel Blair (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office) and authorities outside the home where he allegedly shot his parents (KSAZ/YouTube screenshot)
A 19-year-old man in Arizona was arrested this week after he allegedly filmed himself trying to kill his mother and father in preplanned executions because he was “upset over his upbringing.”
Jeremiah Estel Blair was taken into custody on Monday and charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Chandler Police Department, officers at about 5:30 a.m. on the morning of Monday, May 13, responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in the Chandler Heights neighborhood near McQueen Road.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located two victims — an adult male and an adult female — each suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment and were said to be “alert and stable” as of Tuesday.
An adult male — later identified as Blair — was arrested at the scene without incident and the victims were identified as his mother and father, though their names have not been released by authorities.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by Phoenix, Arizona CBS affiliate KTVK provided additional details about the shootings and Blair’s alleged motive behind the attack.
According to authorities, Blair was unarmed in the driveway of the home waiting for police to arrive where he surrendered and confessed to shooting his mother and father. Police reportedly wrote that Blair made at least one statement “about this day coming,” explaining that he was “upset over his upbringing” and was “not treated as he should have been as a child.”
Additionally, Blair allegedly told police that “he had been planning for years to kill (his parents),” per a report from Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ.
Blair reportedly admitted that he had been storing the 9 mm handgun in his closet and initially planned to fatally shoot the victim on Mother’s Day, before eventually deciding to wait one more day to “set his plan in motion.”
Shortly after midnight on Monday, Blair brought a camera downstairs and placed it in the kitchen of the home because he wanted to record the killings, KSAZ reported. He then laid in wait for one of his parent to wake up and start getting ready for work.
Blair’s father was the first to awake. When the older man came downstairs, Blair told him that he “knew this day was coming” and opened fire. After allegedly shooting his father, Blair took the handgun upstairs and shot his mother as she was leaving her bedroom.
The 19-year-old was reportedly not happy when he learned that both of his parents were expected to survive their injuries.
“Defendant showed remorse for the fact that his parents will live,” read a part of the court documents. “Defendant knew [his] actions [were] wrong, but still attempted to shoot and kill his parents.”
Blair is currently being held at the Maricopa County Jail on bond of $750,000. He is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on May 22.
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