The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced final week that 61-year-old Harold Luster of Excessive Ridge, Missouri was charged with first diploma homicide and armed prison motion within the demise of Kevin Ward, his 26-year-old son. Luster entered a not responsible plea final week.

The incident went down on December twenty fourth, Christmas Eve, at Luster’s house, whereas Ward and his fiancée had been visiting from St. Louis.

The sufferer’s fiancée, per possible trigger paperwork through the Solar Herald, advised deputies she was in a disagreement with Luster over accusations the person’s associate — who’s Ward’s mom — was dishonest. Luster allegedly felt his son’s fiancée was “withholding data” from him and requested, “Do you wanna get shot?”

After Ward advised her to run, she mentioned she heard her fiancé inform his father, “You are not going to shoot her,” earlier than Luster responded, “You wanna get shot as an alternative?” She mentioned she then noticed Luster elevate his arm whereas holding one thing that regarded like a gun, earlier than firing a single shot at his son’s brow, sending Ward to the bottom.

Surveillance footage from a close-by house additionally allegedly confirmed the capturing, with a visual muzzle flash earlier than the sufferer collapsed.

Talking with KSDK, Katherine Ward — Kevin’s mom and the girl Luster accused of dishonest —  mentioned she was anticipating her son and his girlfriend to come back to her place for Christmas. She advised the outlet the 2 had been additionally anticipating a child on the time of his demise — along with his fiancée due in June.

“Kevin was my go to particular person,” she mentioned. “My son was the perfect. He was an amazing child that did not deserve that night time and I want 1,000 instances he by no means went down there. However me and him by no means would have thought this is able to ever occur. It is virtually like I am in a nightmare and I can not get out.”

“A mindless act took my child away from me. I’ll by no means see him stroll by means of my door and say ‘mother’, I will not have birthdays, Christmases,” she continued, in tears. “I must sit there and maintain his child for the primary time as a result of he will not be capable to.”

In accordance with Katherine, Luster and one other member of the family had been arguing and the combat “didn’t don’t have anything to do with Kevin.” She claimed Harold was “already labored up over that incident.”

She additionally mentioned she obtained a telephone name from Luster and will hear her son within the background shouting, “Dad, why are you doing this? I do not deserve this” as Harold allegedly beat on the younger man’s truck. She then obtained one other name from Luster, saying he had shot somebody.

“Kevin died with a gunshot to his brow and his fingers tucked in his pockets,” Ward claimed. “He was finally going to shoot Kevin’s fiancée and Kevin sacrificed himself, he was the hero that night time. He would slightly die than have her and that child taken.”

She additionally denied dishonest on Luster, saying she had an on-and-off once more relationship with him and claimed he was residing with one other girl on the time.

“I truthfully imagine Kevin did not suppose his father would ever do one thing like that to him … I at all times thought it was going to be me, not my son,” she added, saying that she hopes Luster “[suffers] every single day at that reminiscence.”

“My son can’t breathe, my son can’t stroll, my son can’t see, my son isn’t right here no extra … So far as justice, [Harold] deserves life,” she concluded.

Luster can be again in courtroom on January 3 for a bond assessment listening to.