The nephew of a Michigan congressman, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, was arraigned on Thursday in the shooting death of his father.
Timothy J. Kildee is facing 16 charges in connection with the slaying of his father, Timothy E. Kildee. He is currently at Hurley Medical Center recovering from a vehicle crash and made his court appearance via video conference, the Detroit News reported.
Several members of the Kildee family — including six-term Flint Township congressman Dan Kildee — were listed as present for the Zoom hearing, during which a judge detailed each of the counts against the suspect. Those include misdemeanor assault, armed robbery, carjacking, felony murder and operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injury.
“Most of them I didn’t do,” Timothy J. Kildee said after each charge was read aloud in court, per MLive. “I’d like to exercise my right to remain silent.”
The younger Kildee also expressed confusion throughout his arraignment Thursday, at one point saying he was “not really sure what’s going on.”
The series of events culminating in the death of Timothy E. Kildee began in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Detroit Free Press reported. Officers were called around 2:50 a.m. regarding a domestic dispute at a residence in Burton.
Police said Timothy J. Kildee broke into the home and then got into a fight with his sister, during which he allegedly pulled out a gun. He then contacted his mother, Timothy E. Kildee’s ex-wife, who picked him up around 5 a.m. They were driving to his father’s house when Timothy J. Kildee leapt out of the car and fled, triggering a desperate search.
Timothy E. Kildee joined the efforts, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.
His other son, Jacob, later told authorities he heard his father return to their home in Mount Morris, where Timothy J. Kildee had been waiting. Jacob listened from the basement as an argument unfolded between the two, according to authorities. He said at one point he heard his brother ask for his father’s keys and wallet, and then a single gunshot.
Soon after that, authorities say Timothy J. Kildee crashed his father’s car into a pickup in neighboring Genesee Township, suffering serious injuries.
In wake of the violence, Dan Kildee issued a brief statement, declaring that his family “is grieving and heartbroken.”
On Thursday, Genesee County District Court Judge Christopher R. Odette ordered Timothy J. Kildee be held in custody with no bond on the felony murder charge.
