Inset: Jason T. Whitaker (Lake County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Indiana street where Whitaker allegedly attacked his parents (Google Maps).
A 44-year-old man in Indiana is accused of fatally stabbing his father and critically injuring his mother during a violent domestic attack stemming from an argument over changing the furnace temperature, authorities said.
Jason Whitaker is charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, two counts of domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon, and two counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury in the attack on 74-year-old Orell Whitaker and his wife, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Merrillville Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday to the 7400 block of Hendricks Street after a 911 caller reported that “her and her husband were being stabbed.” When officers arrived, they encountered the suspect, later identified as Jason Whitaker, exiting the home “with his hands up” and took him into custody “without incident.”
Additional officers entered the residence and rendered aid to the victims. Police said one victim was transported to Franciscan Health in Crown Point in “stable, but critical condition,” while the second victim “was found deceased.” Authorities said the ordeal was “an isolated incident with no additional threats to the public.”
Court documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune provided additional details about the alleged attack and the events leading up to it.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the incident began when Jason Whitaker’s mother asked him — not for the first time — to stop turning off the furnace in the basement. He allegedly responded by violently attacking her.
The mother told police she was on the basement stairs when Jason Whitaker struck her in the head with a cast iron skillet before stabbing her multiple times. That is when Jason Whitaker’s father reportedly intervened on behalf of his wife.
While Orell Whitaker’s intervention allowed his wife to escape up the stairs and call 911, Jason Whitaker allegedly stabbed his father multiple times, ultimately killing him.
The mother told investigators that when she peered back down the stairs, she saw Jason Whitaker holding his father by the feet and dragging him along the basement floor. The 74-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and his death was ruled a homicide.
Jason Whitaker’s mother suffered “extensive injuries,” including multiple stab wounds and a fractured skull that required a metal plate to be surgically placed in her head.
According to the affidavit, when Jason Whitaker let police in through the front door, he was holding a bloody knife — the same knife police believe he used to kill his father.
When questioned, Jason Whitaker allegedly admitted to police that he stabbed his father in the neck and stomach about four times, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported, citing court documents.
The mother told police that she and her husband had previously kicked Jason Whitaker out of their home, but decided to let him return after he ran up high hotel bills.
A relative reportedly informed authorities that Jason Whitaker suffers from schizophrenia.
During an interview with police, Jason Whitaker reportedly made a series of claims, alleging his parents confined him in the basement and engaged in criminal activity. Police said there was no evidence supporting any of Jason Whitaker’s assertions. He further claimed that the attack on his father was in self-defense.
Jason Whitaker remains in custody at the Lake County Detention Center without bond. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court.
