Man accused of killing gay son charged with hate crime

Prosecutors allege a Los Angeles man fatally shot his son for being gay.

The son’s body was found outside a home where the perpetrator’s wife was found dead. He’s been charged with one count of premeditated murder as a hate crime.

Shehada Issa, 69, told police he shot his son Amir in self-defense after he discovered his wife’s body in their house. An investigation into Issa’s wife’s death is ongoing.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said that Issa had previously threatened to kill his 29-year-old son for being gay.

“The murder was committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation and because of the defendant’s perception of that status and the victims’ association with a person and a group of that status,” prosecutors said in a statement.

Issa was arrested after Los Angeles police officers found his son’s body outside their house. Issa’s wife was found stabbed to death inside the house.

Detectives said Issa told officers he found his wife’s body in a bathroom.

“He claimed (the son) was armed with a knife, and there was no knife to be found (there). It was a horrible family tragedy,” Detective John Doerbecker told the Daily News.

Authorities allege the father used a shotgun in the attack on his son, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Doerbecker told the Daily News that there had been problems between the father and son, including the son reportedly vandalizing the home. He said the couple was evicting the son.

Issa was being held without bail pending his arraignment on April 11.

He faces life in prison if convicted of the charge.