NEED TO KNOW
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The 11-year-old boy, who is accused of shooting and killing his father after he took away his Nintendo Switch, appeared in court for the first time
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Clayton Dietz appeared before a judge on Thursday, Feb. 19, as he waived his right to a preliminary hearing
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The preteen’s lawyer told local outlets he had no comment on the case, but his “goal” is to get his client “into juvenile court”
The 11-year-old boy, who is accused of shooting and killing his father after he took away his Nintendo Switch, appeared in court for the first time.
Clayton Dietz appeared before a judge on Thursday, Feb. 19, as he waived his right to a preliminary hearing, according to Fox News and local outlets CBS 21 News and WGAL 8.
Clayton, who was previously denied bail on Jan. 13, was handcuffed as he was led in and out of the courtroom by officers.
After the hearing, the preteen’s lawyer, Dave Wilson, told the local outlets he had no comment on the case, but his “goal” is to get his client “into juvenile court.” Clayton is currently being tried as an adult.
Clayton was charged with homicide after shooting his father, Douglas Dietz, in the early morning hours on Jan. 13. The day marked Clayton’s 11th birthday.
According to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE, the 11-year-old got mad at his adoptive father when his Nintendo Switch was taken away and he was told to go to bed.
Clayton later found a key to a safe in his father’s drawer and unlocked it in hopes of finding the video game console, and he stumbled across a gun. He then allegedly fired at his dad, per an affidavit obtained by WGAL 8.
When police asked the 11-year-old what he thought was going to happen when he pulled the trigger, Clayton said, per the affidavit obtained by the outlet, that he “was mad” and he “had not thought about that.”
Douglas’ wife, Jillian Dietz, told police that she and her husband sang happy birthday to their son just before they all went to bed, and she later woke up to the loud noise of the gunshot, according to ABC 27 News.
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She told police she spotted Clayton in a closet, where he allegedly said, “He’s dead,” before running downstairs, yelling, “My dad’s dead,” the outlet reported.
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Officials said Douglas and Jillian adopted Clayton in 2018, per WGAL 8.
A next court date has not yet been scheduled for Clayton. His lawyer told WGAL 8 that he anticipates they will be back in court in May.
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