In a quiet emergency housing unit in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the life of 13-year-old Jonathan Samuel, a male with Down syndrome and autism, came to a brutal end on March 24, 2014. The tranquility of the small home, provided by St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho, was shattered by an act of violence that would claim not only Jonathan's life but also that of his 46-year-old father, Eldon Samuel Jr.
The family had relocated to Idaho from California in the hopes of finding a better environment for the two boys.
The person responsible for this tragedy was Jonathan's own 14-year-old brother, Eldon Gale Samuel III. On that fateful evening, after a confrontation with his father, the older brother used a. 45-caliber pistol to shoot his father. As his father crawled towards Jonathan's room, Eldon III shot him three more times. He then turned his aggression towards his younger brother, who was hiding under his bed.
The subsequent attack on Jonathan was one of extreme violence. Eldon III shot his brother with a shotgun before repeatedly stabbing and hacking him with a knife and a machete. After the killings, Eldon III himself called the police and confessed to the crimes. He showed no remorse in his interview with investigators, stating that he had contemplated the killings for months. He expressed hatred for his brother and blamed Jonathan's autism for the family's problems, including their father's addiction to painkillers and their mother's departure.
Eldon Gale Samuel III was charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder. During his trial, his defense argued that he had been abused by his father, who was described as a drug addict who was paranoid about a "zombie apocalypse." Despite these claims, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for his brother's death and second-degree murder for his father's death. He was sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison. The case left the community in shock and highlighted the tragic circumstances of a deeply troubled family.
