Son strips down to underwear and waits for arrest after chopping at stepdad with shovel and stabbing mom: Police

A 38-year-old Indiana man is accused of killing his mother and stepfather at their home, allegedly trying to decapitate the stepfather with a shovel before continuing the attack with a kitchen knife.

David White was arrested and preliminarily charged with murder, though formal charges from the prosecutor’s office remained pending as of Tuesday morning.

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The investigation began when officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a residence in the 2800 block of Lakeshire Lane, near West 96th Street and Township Line Road, at 12:22 p.m. Oct. 11 for a reported stabbing, Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported.

At the home, first responders found an 80-year-old man in the driveway and his 75-year-old wife inside the home, next to bloody garden shears, according to Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN. Both victims appeared to have suffered multiple stab wounds.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he later died, according to reports.

Neighbors told police they saw White chopping at his stepfather’s neck with a shovel, WXIN reported, citing court records. One witness who saw the violence intervened and wrested the shovel from White, but he allegedly continued attacking the victim with a kitchen knife.

After allegedly attacking the victims, White reportedly ran back into the home, stripped down to his underwear and waited to surrender to police.

In an interview with detectives, White allegedly declined to answer questions about the incident. Police reportedly wrote that he “seemed to understand what had occurred,” but noted that he “didn’t want to answer questions because they (police) had been holding him against his will.”

Police have also reported prior contact with White and his family over mental health concerns. The IMPD’s Mobile Crisis Assistance Team had responded to the home earlier in the year, WTHR reported. A neighbor told investigators that White’s parents had recently said he had stopped taking his mental health medication.

White is being held in the Marion County Jail without bond pending the filing of formal charges.

Indianapolis City-County Councilor Leroy Robinson responded to the alleged killings in a statement Sunday evening.

His statement read in part:

“Today is a heartbreaking day for our community. My deepest condolences go to the family, friends, and loved ones of the two individuals who lost their lives. My thoughts are also with the neighbors and residents grieving this tragedy. A loss like this reaches beyond one household and affects an entire community.”

Neighbors said news of the deaths was devastating for the community, where the couple had lived for decades.

“They really were the nicest people I’d ever known,” one neighbor told WTHR, adding, “And I’m 64 years old, so I know a lot of people.”

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