On November 21, 2025, Calumet County sheriff's deputies were called just after 12:45 p.m. to a reported disturbance at a rural home in the town of Woodville, Wisconsin. There they found Jeffrey Graverson, a 56-year-old male mortally wounded by gunfire inside the residence. Reports indicate the shooting happened at the family home, and despite lifesaving efforts at the scene, he was pronounced dead from his injuries a short time later.
According to a probable cause affidavit and local news coverage, the 911 call that brought deputies to the house came from Jeffrey's son, 22-year-old Ethan James Graverson, who told dispatchers his father was “going crazy” and that he “had to shoot him.” When officers arrived, Ethan walked out of the home with the firearm as instructed and immediately admitted that he had shot his father, estimating he had fired “five, six maybe” rounds. Inside, deputies found Jeffrey unresponsive, seated upright in a closet with multiple gunshot wounds, including to the chest and groin area. Investigators recovered several spent 9mm shell casings on the kitchen floor, and a 9mm pistol was seized as evidence.
During subsequent interviews at the Calumet County Sheriff's Office, Ethan reportedly displayed unsettling behavior, at one point smirking and giving a small chuckle while waiting to be questioned, then showing little to no emotion when informed that his father had died. In his statement to investigators, he said he had returned home from work around midday and found his father drinking. He described a conversation that began with his father telling him he loved him and to calm down, but claimed it quickly escalated into an argument about “life in general.” Ethan said he went to the garage, retrieved a gun, and came back inside, later telling detectives that “it wasn't the first time I've grabbed the gun; it was the first time I used the gun.”
Ethan told investigators he had come to see his father as a “monster” and alleged years of mental abuse, saying there had been a long emotional “buildup” behind his actions. According to the complaint, he claimed that Jeffrey called him “crazy,” asked him to put the gun down and give him a hug, and then challenged him to put the gun down and fight “man to man.” Ethan stated that it was at that point he opened fire, aiming for “center mass” and firing multiple shots. He also admitted he had thought about killing his father since he was about 10 or 11 years old, even while acknowledging that his father had told him he loved him throughout his life.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Ethan was arrested at the scene and booked into the Calumet County Jail on a recommended charge of first-degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors have since formally charged him with first-degree intentional homicide, with at least one report noting a domestic abuse modifier attached to the count. At his initial court appearance, a judge set bond at $1 million cash, and a status conference was scheduled for early January. Ethan's mother, Peggy Graverson, who is Jeffrey's widow, asked the court for a lower bond so her son could receive mental-health treatment, while the district attorney argued that Ethan posed a risk to himself and others and might flee if released. As of the most recent reports, Ethan James Graverson remains the sole identified suspect in his father's killing, is being held in custody pending further court proceedings, and authorities have not indicated that they are seeking any additional suspects in Jeffrey Graverson's death.
