Lorain/Elyria, OH
Suspect in mom’s killing wants to be at her funeral
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ELYRIA — A 16-year-old son of a preacher who has been charged with killing his mother and critically injuring his father will learn today if he can attend his mom’s funeral.
An attorney representing Daniel Petric has filed a motion requesting a furlough from the county Juvenile Detention Home so he can attend the funeral for 43-year-old Susan Petric on Saturday, according to a secretary in the office of Juvenile Administrator Doug Messer.
Sheriff’s deputies believe Daniel shot his mother three times — one of which struck her in the head and ended up in her brain.
Another bullet went through both forearms when she apparently threw her arms up as a defense, county coroner Paul Matus said.
His father, the Rev. Mark Petric, pastor at New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, was shot once, although deputies have not indicated where he was injured. Mark Petric, 45, remained in critical condition Thursday night at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Their bodies were discovered last Saturday by their 21-year-old daughter, Heidi Archer, who along with her husband, Andrew, had planned on watching the Indians game with her parents at her parents’ new home on Peck Wadsworth Road in Brighton Township.
When the Archers arrived, Daniel met them on the porch and said they couldn’t go in, Sheriff’s Capt. Rich Resendez said. Heidi
Archer told a 911 dispatcher that she pushed past her brother when she heard her dad make a weird noise, and that’s when she saw the gruesome scene, according to a 911 recording of the call.
Daniel took off in his parents’ minivan, but he was picked up minutes later by a Wellington police officer. During the arrest, Daniel can be heard telling officers that his dad shot his mom before turning the gun on himself, according to footage from a cruiser’s dashboard camera.
Resendez said physical evidence at the scene, as well as Daniel’s confession to the crime during an interview, dispproves the account Daniel gave to the Wellington police.
Deputies are still not releasing a motive, but Resendez has said Daniel and his parents were arguing more often in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
Daniel’s classmates and teachers have said he never showed any propensity towards violence, and that he was somewhat of a class clown. However, when he was in seventh grade, he told students he had been bringing a gun to school, which later was proven untrue, according to a police report.
For his ninth-grade year, Daniel was home schooled. He returned to Wellington High School to attend 10th grade.
He was very involved in his dad’s church’s youth group, playing drums and helping win competitions with other churches in which he was required to recite from memory passages from the Bible. His sister, Heidi, and her husband were youth ministers at their father’s church.
Contact Adam Wright at 653-6257 or awright@chroniclet.com.
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If this child shot his mother to death and wounded his father leaving him in who knows what condition or if he’ll even survive he SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED to attend his MOTHER’S funeral. If he didn’t care about when she was alive and he killed her why should he be given the right to attend her funeral. Next he’ll ask if he can go visit his father! NO WAY, keep him right where he is and let him think about what he did.
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I agree that he should not be allowed to attend his mothers funeral. In a sense it would be good for him to see his mother, to let it hit him about just what he did to her, having to see her lying there dead. But I believe it would be very uncomfortable for other family, and friends, to have him there. Yes, family and friends have forgiven him, as they are required to do, as Pastor Mark always preached, but that doesn’t erase their feelings.
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I have mixed feelings on this one. A mind is so fragile that we never know when it may snap. I do not know him but he may have mental problems that we do not know about. I think maybe he should go and face what he has done to his mother and father. Maybe he is a problem child, I would not know or maybe his mind just snapped for a deadly few minutes. I do however think that Police guard should be there to guard him closely and not leave him alone with anyone. My prayers is with all the family.
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i believe if his father cant be at the funeral because of what his son did the son shouldnt be allowed to go to the funeral either.plus it will be hard on the family members knowing they are at this funeral because of him.
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There may be more to this than any of us realize. It is not our place to judge. I’m sure the court will reach the correct decision, whatever it is.
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Can we be sure Danny is the one who did this? I’m not a Judge or investigator but they were both found setting on separate couches in the living room. If he would shoot one victim wouldn’t you think the other person would come running in to the noise? Then that victim would have been found next to the first victim after the 2nd shooting. The Dad had a gun wound in the mouth and jaw area. It just seems a little odd to me. I listened to the tape from the Wellington Police car and he states while crying that “Dad killed my Mom”. It just sounded so real and pleading, it doesn’t seem like it was a rehearsed or a made up story. But I guess we may never know. Anyway, I think he SHOULD be able to see his Mom for the last time. He is the only one that can make a mends with his Mom and Maker.
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In my mind, there is absolutely no way this murderer should have been allowed to visit the casket of the person he murdered; mother or not. The judge that granted this release needs to be reviewed as well. The decsion to allow the the murderer to travel to visit his mother allowed for the possibility of an escape attempt that could have resulted in public harm. I believe it shows very poor judgement from the judge.
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I BELEIVE IT IS WHAT HIS FAMILY WANTS AND REQUESTS . ITS NO ONE ELSES BUISNESS BUT THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH.
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