In the small community of Overgaard, Arizona, a domestic dispute on July 1, 2019, ended in tragedy. James Mellen Jr., a 58-year-old White / Caucasian male, was found deceased in his bed by deputies from the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. The cause of his death was a gunshot wound. The events leading up to this fatal incident reportedly began as a verbal and physical altercation between James Mellen Jr.
and his father.
The argument had apparently carried on for a significant part of the day, prompting the younger Mellen to go to bed in an attempt to deescalate the volatile situation. However, the conflict took a deadly turn. Authorities reported that his 84-year-old father, James Mellen Sr., shot his son with a pistol after he had gone to bed. Deputies responded to the family home at approximately 10:00 PM, where they discovered James Mellen Jr. deceased.
Following the discovery, James Mellen Sr. was arrested in connection with the shooting death of his son. He was subsequently booked at the Navajo County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. The case was then turned over to the Navajo County Attorney's Office for review.
