In a tragic turn of events on the evening of Friday, April 11, 2025, Chad McMaken, a 47-year-old male, died at his home in Williams, Indiana. The incident unfolded at his residence located at 275 State Road 158. Emergency services were alerted to the situation when the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a man who identified himself as Kameron McMaken.
During the call, Kameron McMaken, the 22-year-old son of the victim, informed the dispatcher that
he had been in a fight with his father and had shot him in the head. When asked to check on his father's condition, Kameron reportedly replied, 'He's gone. I shot him in the...face.' Deputies were immediately dispatched to the scene, and upon arrival, they found Chad McMaken deceased on the kitchen floor from an apparent gunshot wound. Kameron was still at the residence and was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation into Chad McMaken's death was extensive, involving detectives from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office and Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigators. According to the probable cause affidavit, Kameron told investigators that a verbal argument with his father had escalated into a physical altercation. He claimed he believed his father was harming a cat inside the home. Kameron stated that he 'instinctually grabbed' a loaded firearm that was on the kitchen table, intending to show it to his father to de-escalate the situation. He alleged that a struggle ensued over the weapon, during which he 'panicked and shot him.' A firearm matching the description provided by Kameron was found next to his father's body. An initial determination by the Lawrence County Coroner, later supported by a forensic examination, listed the cause of death as a non-contact gunshot wound to the head.
Initially, Kameron McMaken was arrested and charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, and pointing a loaded firearm. He was booked into the Lawrence County Jail. In a later court proceeding in Lawrence County Superior Court II, Kameron Lee McMaken pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony. The judge took the plea under advisement, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for October 2, 2025. Kameron McMaken remained held without bond pending his sentencing.
