Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas man admits to killing father with baseball bat, police say

Area of baseball bat beating

A Las Vegas man admitted to beating his father to death with a baseball bat earlier this month and surrendered to authorities Monday in Arkansas, where he is awaiting extradition, Metro Police say.

Las Vegas residents Richard Heron Jr., 32, and Richard Heron Sr. began to argue late Nov. 18 at a condo in the 1900 block of North Torrey Pines Drive, police said in a report released Tuesday. Heron Jr., who had been living in the condo with his father after a dispute with his girlfriend over custody of their 8-year-old son, thought the argument was over when his father swung a bat at him, the report said. The bat first hit a wall, and then Heron Jr. was hit in the back of the head.

Heron Jr. told authorities: “I remember grabbing the bat from him and hitting him back.”

A neighbor heard a number of loud noises and then heard a voice yell “Dad,” repeatedly, and then “Daddy,” a number of times shortly after, police said.

The neighbor did not call 911 because the son walked from the apartment calmly, and the neighbor thought he would have called for help if something had been wrong, the report said.

Sunday, Heron Jr. sent his girlfriend a text reading, “I’m so sorry,” the police said. In a brief telephone conversation that followed, Heron Jr. confessed to his girlfriend that he killed his father, the report said. His girlfriend then urged him to surrender to authorities.

Monday, Heron Jr. told his girlfriend he was going to turn himself in, the report said. She then drove toward Heron Sr.’s home around 9:30 a.m. and found a police officer nearby. She told him about the slaying, and authorities entered the condo shortly after and found Heron Sr. dead with a baseball bat nearby.

Around noon Monday, Heron Jr. called police in Sheridan, Ark., where he had gone for Thanksgiving and turned himself in at the station. He confessed on a conference call with Sheridan police and Metro Police, the report said.

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