Washington, September 29: A US man who shot and decapitated his father after years of sexual abuse has been jailed for manslaughter.
Jeremiah Raymond Berry, 22, shot his father, Jack, in the back of the head after he had been raped, before dismembering his dad’s carcass and feeding it to coyotes, the Cortez Journal reports.
Parts of what is thought to be Jack Berry’s body, including his skull, hands and feet, were found by detectives in buckets hardened with cement at a local dog kennel in Colorado.
“You killed your father, you shot him and you destroyed evidence,” Judge Walker said in handing down the sentence.
“You were (also) sexually abused by your father … and have suffered from mental abuse.”
Judge Walker said some incarceration was necessary but Berry, who pleaded guilty to the crime, would have time already served in prison credited to his sentence.
Jeremiah’s mother, Rita Gallegos, said her son had been robbed of a normal childhood because of the years of abuse committed by his father.
“Jeremiah stopped a cycle of abuse. He’s not a cold-blooded killer,” Ms Gallegos said.
“His father was a monster, and Jeremiah was a victim.”
Berry’s lawyer, Chris Trimble, said the outcome was fair.
“It’s sad to see him suffer after a generation of abuse that he was forced to end. Jack Berry was a sadistic monster, and Jeremiah Berry has been a hero,” Mr Trimble said.
—Agencies