MESA, AZ — Authorities arrested a 35-year-old man after he allegedly shot and killed his father at his Mesa home Sunday night.
Deputies responded to a call regarding the reporting party's 57-year-old uncle who lived in a home on East Des Moines Street in Mesa, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office records.
The complainant noticed that the home's door was unlocked and that the uncle's car was parked in the driveway. They entered the home when they found blood throughout the house and left soon after due to fear for their safety.
Deputies later arrived at the scene and located the complainant's uncle who was found dead on the floor of the home's Arizona room.
Authorities said several semi-automatic shell casings were also found inside of the master bedroom where they believe the incident took place.
Deputies also noticed there was a distinct smell of bleach where the body was located, court records showed. MCSO detectives were contacted after identifying several signs of foul play.
Deputies learned that the victim's biological son, Dustin Hegreberg, had been visiting his father from Illinois.
Court records said several other family members had gathered together the night before. On Monday, they reported that Hegreberg had gone to the relatives' home and appeared to be acting strangely as the day went on.
Authorities spoke with the family who said Hegreberg had been staying with his 57-year-old father and appeared to be the last person to have seen him alive.
Hegreberg was later located and interviewed by investigators who said he arrived in Arizona on Dec. 16 to visit his father and grandmother.
He told authorities that he and his father got into an argument on Friday regarding sleeping arrangements. He also said that his father became nervous and got ahold of a pistol from the nightstand in his bedroom.
Hegreberg said he began to struggle with his father near the master bedroom when his father allegedly fired three rounds from the gun.
He then told authorities he got ahold of the firearm and fired two rounds into the right side of his father's abdomen.
Hegreberg told authorities he told two relatives what had happened but that he made no attempts to contact authorities about the incident. He also stated that he began to drive back to Illinois after the incident but changed his mind. He drove back to his grandmother's home where he was met by MCSO deputies.
Hegreberg was taken into MCSO custody and booked for 2nd-degree murder, manslaughter, and tampering with physical evidence.
