Man who allegedly shot and killed his 14-year-old son for being gay appears in court

A man who allegedly shot and killed his 14-year-old son for being gay appeared in court in Nevada on Wednesday, November 6.

53-year-old father Wendell Melton was arrested and accused of the murder of his son Giovanni on November 2 2017, but is yet to go to trial and is currently under house arrest.

According to Advocate, he faces charges of open murder, felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and first-degree felony child abuse.

Wendell originally claimed that he shot and killed his son by accident and that he didn’t mean to fire the gun, but Giovanni’s mother Veronica Melton told KTNV that she disagrees.

She said her former husband “always trying to find out if my son was gay”, and that Giovanni had come to her two months before his death. She believes that he came out to his father around the same time.

Wendell Melton was accusing of murdering his son for being gay. (Giovanni Melton/ Facebook)

She added: “He couldn’t deal with it because, when I was married to him, he would make very disparaging remarks against people that were gay, and to me I know that he was homophobic.”

Veronica said said a hate crime enhancement should also be added to the list of crimes Wendell is accused of.

Giovanni’s former foster mother, Sonja Jones, previously said: “Giovanni was abused physically and mentally and spiritually for many, many years.”

She added that Wendell “hated” that his son was gay and that she was “sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son”.

Jones said she had spoken to a family member who confirmed that an argument had ensued over Giovanni’s sexual orientation.

Veronica wants to attend the trial, but said: “I’m hoping to but it’s hard, it’s very difficult for me… I would give anything to have my son.

“When my son died, I died. I died that day. My heart was broken.”

• Nov 29 2023

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