Zacchary Delane Sumrall, inset, is accused of killing his stepfather, William Keckler, and his biological mother, Tammi Keckler. (Mug shot from Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office; crime scene screenshot from Phoenix-based KTVK)
A man allegedly told investigators he executed his parents this week at their home in a gated community in Arizona after an argument over money and his contributing to the household.
Zacchary Delane Sumrall, 33, faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of his mother, 57-year-old Tammi Keckler, and stepfather, 60-year-old William Keckler, authorities said. Sumrall was held at the Maricopa County Jail with bail set at $1 million. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
A probable cause statement obtained by Law&Crime outlines the case. It includes statements the suspect allegedly made when he called the Peoria Police Department on Monday at 4:04 p.m., saying he shot and killed his parents inside the home in the 7900 block of West Rock Springs Drive.
“He stated he did execution shots on them, and they were not breathing,” the document said.
He stayed on the phone with the police communications call taker while officers responded to the residence. He told the person he placed the gun on a table by the front door, then walked outside and surrendered.
As he was being taken into custody, he spontaneously said, “I just killed my parents,” the document said.
Inside the home, police found the victims dead with apparent gunshot wounds to their heads. A Glock handgun was found on a table near the front door, and several casings were found on the floor near Tammi Keckler’s body.
The suspect allegedly told police it started over an argument in the kitchen about his money habits and not contributing to the household. He became angry and told his mother, “You’re dead to me.”
His stepfather tried to calm him down and told him to apologize and take back what he said, but his mother said she did not want to hear an apology and told him to gather his belongings and move out, the probable cause document stated.
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Then Sumrall “became extremely angry and snapped,” the document said.
He went upstairs and retrieved his handgun from his bedroom cabinet. When his stepfather followed him upstairs and asked for the gun, the suspect took the gun out, pointed it at him, and shot him several times, the document said.
His mother, still downstairs, started screaming.
Sumrall rushed downstairs and “saw a blur” — his mother — aimed at the blur and shot her several times, the document said.
He then unloaded the firearm, placed it on a table near the front door and called the police to report what happened. He told investigators that after the shooting, he hugged his mother and got blood on his clothing, the document said.
Sumrall allegedly told police he suffers from mental issues and is currently taking medication but felt the medication was “working well until this incident happened.”
Neighbors were shocked. One of them told Phoenix-based station KTVK that the suspect’s parents had been taking care of him.
“He’s not a teenager or anything,” one told the station. “He’s been with them for a long time.”
Sumrall is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 7.
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