29.10.2026 14:38
In the US, 40-year-old Richard Saettele was charged with stabbing his 63-year-old father in the eye with a screwdriver after an argument, then praying with him and killing him by stabbing him in the heart. The suspect, who buried his father's body in a shallow pit behind the house, was arrested after the horrific murder came to light.
In the US state of Missouri, 40-year-old Richard Saettele is accused of killing his 63-year-old father, Michael Saettele. After arguing with his father, the suspect, who admitted to attacking his eye with a screwdriver, allegedly prayed with his seriously injured father and then plunged a knife he took from the kitchen into his heart. After the incident, Saettele buried the body in a shallow hole behind the house; he was caught by police teams and arrested.
THE ARGUMENT ENDED IN BLOOD
The incident occurred in the town of Foley in the US state of Missouri. According to police records, an argument that began outside the house between 40-year-old Richard Saettele and his 63-year-old father, Michael Saettele, continued inside.
According to the suspect's statement, during the argument, father Michael Saettele tried to throw a screwdriver at his son. Richard Saettele, who got hold of the screwdriver, stabbed it into his father's eye. It was reported that Michael Saettele, who fell to the ground after the blow, said to his son, "Ricky, this is not the right way."
FIRST THEY PRAYED TOGETHER, THEN HE STABBED HIM IN THE HEART
In his police statement, Saettele said his father suffered for about 5 minutes, and that during this time they recited the Lord's Prayer, which holds an important place in Christianity. The suspect, claiming he could no longer bear his father's suffering, went to the kitchen and took a large knife instead of calling for help.
It was stated that Saettele, after reciting the final religious prayers for his father, plunged the knife directly into his heart and then completed the prayers. According to the suspect's statement, the knife handle broke from the force of the blow.
HE BURIED THE BODY IN A HOLE BEHIND THE HOUSE
It emerged that Saettele, realizing his father was not breathing, dragged the body about 6 meters and took it behind the house.
The suspect dug a hole about 30 centimeters deep with a military shovel and buried his father's body there.
It was stated that a few days later, when a bad odor began coming from the body, he covered it with insulation materials.
THE HORRIBLE TRUTH EMERGED
It was learned that Michael Saettele had been missing and sought since August 15. The suspect claimed that he killed his father in mid-to-late September.
After Richard Saettele told another person about the murder, a report was made to the police.
On October 24, teams went to the house and, in a search assisted by cadaver dogs, found Michael Saettele's lifeless body in the porch adjacent to the house, under construction waste and insulation materials.
HE WAS ARRESTED ON MURDER CHARGES
Richard Saettele, who was detained after the incident, was charged with first-degree murder, domestic assault, and two separate armed criminal charges. The suspect was sent to the Lincoln County Jail without bail.
The prosecutor's office announced that it is also investigating whether the father could have been saved if timely medical intervention had been provided after the screwdriver attack. Saettele's next hearing is scheduled for November 3.