In a quiet Litchfield Park, Arizona neighborhood, a shocking and tragic event unfolded on November 3, 2018, ending in the deaths of 11-year-old Treu Hebert and his grandmother, Yvonne Woodard Hebert. The young male had been living with his grandparents, Yvonne and Doyle W. Hebert, who had full custody of him. On that Saturday, a persistent disagreement over household chores took a devastating turn.
Treu had been asked repeatedly throughout the day to clean his room and pick up after himself, but he remained reluctant.
Later in the afternoon, as his grandparents were sitting in the living room watching television, the situation escalated with unimaginable speed. Treu took a handgun that belonged to his grandfather, approached the couple from behind, and shot his grandmother in the back of the head. In the immediate aftermath, Doyle Hebert pursued his grandson before returning to his wife to try and render aid. It was then that he heard a second gunshot. He saw Treu take a few steps before collapsing, having turned the gun on himself.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene after Doyle Hebert retrieved the weapon and dialed 911. Both Treu and his grandmother succumbed to their injuries. The investigation that followed revealed no prior indications that Treu might harm himself or anyone else, leaving a community and family to grapple with the sudden and heartbreaking loss. Neighbors described the family as nice and recalled Treu as a typical boy who enjoyed riding his bicycle and playing in the neighborhood. As a student at Western Sky Middle School, his death prompted the school to provide psychological support for his classmates, who were left to mourn the loss of their friend in such a tragic and violent manner. The case was investigated as a murder-suicide, with no other suspects or arrests made in connection with the incident.
