The father of a 44-year-old man accused of killing a person with disability condemned his son’s crime. Even though the suspect, Charles Covey, is his flesh and blood, Michael Covey said that he’s in favor of the death penalty if he is ever found guilty.
Charles Covey is facing charges related to deliberate homicide after allegedly murdering a wheelchair-bound elderly man. The body of the 65-year-old victim, Roy Lee Nelson, was discovered in a trail last week in Missoula, Montana.
According to court records, the suspect allegedly pushed the elderly man out of his wheelchair. Witnesses also reported hearing “a hollow metal pipe being violently struck against something” multiple times, reported by Crime Online.
When the victim’s body was discovered, he had a massive wound on his face and scalp, and pieces of his brain were spattered on a concrete wall. Investigators also found footage of the incident, which was used as evidence against Charles.
Through several eyewitnesses, the MPD Patrol Officers and Detectives arrested Charles and held him in custody. His bond was set at $1 million.
Father in favor of death penalty for son
In an interview with the Missoulian, the suspect’s father, Michael Covey, publicly condemned his son’s brutal crime. He also claimed that while he doesn’t support the death penalty in the past, he favors his son being executed.
“I’m 100 percent for it (death penalty) right now. Tomorrow, I might have a different heart. I don’t want this monster pampered. What he did is unforgiveable. I definitely wanna do my part to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
During his interview, Michael admitted that he was not always present in his son’s life due to his alcoholism and non-violent crimes. Despite that, he claimed that Charles was raised properly as a child.
However, if Charles won’t be sentenced to death, Michael hopes that he will be imprisoned for as long as possible.
Suspect’s history of violence
Before this brutal murder, Charles Covey had a string of crimes on his record. In the past, he spent 17 years behind bars for assaulting several people and hijacking a vehicle.
Even his friend, George Booten, claimed that he was ‘scared’ of Charles. The suspect came into his house uninvited one time and stayed there for quite some time. During that time, Booten was afraid to tell Charles to leave the house.
According to Michael, their relatives will also try to attend all court proceedings. He also told the newspaper that Charles should no longer be freed as he is a danger to others.
“They can’t ever give him another chance ever. They can’t ever, ever give him another opportunity to be released or escape or something like that. I don’t know what he’s capable of now. They either need to keep him handcuffed and chained to his bed, or they need to put him to death. It breaks my heart to say that.”
Is death penalty possible for the suspect?
Legal experts claimed that while Charles could face lifetime imprisonment, it is still unclear whether or not he could face the death penalty.
In an official statement, Deputy County Attorney Brian Lowney claimed that it might be unconstitutional to seek execution in this case.
“Based on the statutory scheme Montana currently has in place regarding the death penalty, it is unlikely that it is constitutional to seek the death penalty in Montana at this point. ”
Charles Covey is due to appear in court on August 7.
