A Kentucky man has been charged with murder after allegedly planting an explosive device beneath his father’s vehicle before fatally shooting him.
Kentucky man kills his own father
Authorities say 43-year-old Brandon Thomas McQuillen is accused of killing his father, 65-year-old John Thomas McQuillen, a former reserve deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) reported that officers in Middletown responded to a call around 7:30 a.m. on March 12 in Winter Springs. Upon arrival, they discovered a man suffering from gunshot wounds.
Emergency responders transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
While investigating the scene, officers came across what they described as a “suspicious package.”
The LMPD bomb squad was called in to assess the device and conducted a controlled detonation.
Investigators later located an old ambulance, which they believe the suspect used in the commission of the crime.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WDRB, authorities discovered a bomb attached to John McQuillen’s vehicle.
A search of Brandon McQuillen’s residence and vehicle allegedly uncovered an AR-15 rifle and various materials used to create explosive devices.
Investigators also recovered handwritten notes suggesting his intention to kill his father.
Two fence installation workers in the area reportedly witnessed law enforcement officers arresting the suspect inside the former ambulance less than two miles from the crime scene.
One of the workers, Greg Whitaker, recounted that the man emerged from the vehicle, asking if he was obstructing their work and mentioning that his vehicle had engine trouble.
“The part that stands out the most is that he was parked in here and if anybody is in that state of mind, what could he do to a stranger?” Whitaker said.
Kentucky man and father had a rocky history
Court documents indicate that the father and son had previously filed emergency protection orders against each other over the past several years.
Brandon McQuillen has a prior conviction for kidnapping and other offenses, stemming from an incident in which he restrained an ex-girlfriend by chaining her to the ceiling for 12 hours.
During that time, he reportedly assaulted her with a Taser, punched her, and struck her with a pool cue. He was sentenced to three years in prison for the attack.
In connection with his father’s murder, McQuillen faces additional charges, including possession of a firearm as a felon and violating an emergency protection order.
He is currently held in the Jefferson County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
Meanwhile, in Texas, another case of familial homicide unfolded when a man lured his father into a garage under false pretenses before killing him with a 15-pound dumbbell.
Last week, a jury found 26-year-old Ryan Mitchell Smith guilty of murdering his father, Cameron Smith.
The conviction followed a string of violent incidents that included an attack on a police K-9 just days before the homicide.
Court records indicate that Smith orchestrated the fatal attack on January 24, 2022.
He allegedly convinced his father to enter the garage by asking him to look for deer meat before striking him repeatedly with the heavy weight.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Smith then tied a plastic bag over his father’s head before disposing of his body in a trash can.
Days prior to the murder, Smith reportedly attempted to carjack a vehicle in Houston.
Suspect stabbed a police dog ahead of murdering father
During his escape, he was chased by a police K-9 named and allegedly stabbed the dog, but the animal survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the carjacking incident, authorities detained Smith at the Harris County Jail, where his family— including his father—posted his $50,000 bond, securing his release. Less than 24 hours later, Cameron Smith was dead.
After reporting the elder Smith missing, family members alerted police, who later spotted Ryan Smith driving his father’s GMC pickup truck.
When officers attempted a traffic stop, Smith fled, initiating a 15-minute, 10-mile chase before crashing.
Inside the vehicle, authorities discovered a loaded hunting rifle, a black Labrador, and the bloodied dumbbell used in the murder.
Investigators then searched the family home, where they located Cameron Smith’s body.
Ryan Smith was later arrested and formally charged with murder. During the trial, his defense attorneys argued insanity, claiming he was experiencing a manic episode at the time of the killing.
One of his attorneys, Gianpaolo Macerola, argued that Smith did not recognize his father as human when he committed the crime. “He didn’t think what he was doing was wrong,” Macerola stated in court.
Despite the defense’s claims, the jury convicted Smith of murder this week.
