John A. Gustites, a 42-year-old male from Sheppton, Pennsylvania, was killed on September 28, 2024, inside the Franklin Street home he shared with his father in East Union Township. The case began as a quiet domestic disturbance and became a homicide investigation after police were called that evening, hours after the shooting had already occurred.
According to accounts based on police and court documents, the day's violence started in the morning when John A.
Gustites was chasing a cat inside the home. His father, John F. Gustites, then 67, said he went into his son's room to retrieve the cat. What followed was an argument that reportedly shifted to the family's 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, with the younger Gustites demanding use of the vehicle. The dispute escalated after the father left the room, retrieved a. 357 Magnum revolver, and returned to his son's bedroom.
Investigators said John A. Gustites had a Phillips-head screwdriver during the confrontation. John F. Gustites later told police he did not remember pulling the trigger but acknowledged that he must have fired the gun. The shot struck his son in the face. John A. Gustites was found dead in a second-floor bedroom, between a bed and a dresser. Investigators recovered the revolver in the kitchen with one spent casing in the cylinder, and the bullet was found lodged in the bedroom wall after traveling through the headboard, suggesting a downward path.
The shooting was not reported immediately. John F. Gustites told investigators he knew his son was dead soon after the gunfire, but he did not call authorities for roughly 12 hours. During that time, he said he considered killing himself and watched religious videos. Around 8 p.m., he contacted emergency services and reported that he had shot his son earlier that morning. When police arrived at the Franklin Street home, he was reportedly sitting on the front porch and was taken into custody.
John F. Gustites was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and simple assault. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge David Plachko and committed to Schuylkill County Prison on $250,000 cash bail. East Union Township police, Pennsylvania State Police at Frackville, and officers from nearby departments assisted in the response and investigation.
The case later moved through Schuylkill County court. In June 2025, a jury found John F. Gustites guilty of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and simple assault. He was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. At sentencing in August 2025, Schuylkill County Judge Christopher Hobbs imposed a 20-to-40-year state prison sentence, the maximum term reported in connection with the conviction. During the hearing, the judge said Gustites had other choices on the day he killed his son and criticized what he described as a lack of remorse. The victim's aunt also spoke, saying John A. Gustites did not deserve to die over what began as an insignificant argument.
