A quiet Sunday evening in Parsons, Kansas, took a tragic turn on August 16, 2015, ending in the death of a young man and the arrest of his father. Preston Patton, a 25-year-old Caucasian male, was fatally shot outside his father's home. When police and emergency services arrived at the residence in response to a 911 call, they found Preston deceased in the middle of the road. He had been shot multiple times in the chest. His father, 56-year-old Jeffery M.
Patton, was present at the scene and was suffering from head injuries. The initial investigation revealed that a verbal argument between the father and son had escalated into a physical altercation shortly before the shooting.
In the days following the incident, Jeffery M. Patton was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his son, with his bond set at $500,000. He maintained that he acted in self-defense, a claim that was later denied by the court. Evidence presented during a preliminary hearing included testimony from five witnesses and a recording of the 911 call placed by Jeffery Patton himself, in which he stated there had been "a murder." One of Preston's friends testified to having witnessed the verbal and physical altercation that occurred just moments before Preston was killed.
Ultimately, the case did not go to a full trial. After his claim of self-defense was rejected, Jeffery Patton entered into a plea agreement. He pleaded no contest to amended charges of second-degree intentional murder and aggravated kidnapping. In March 2017, he was sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 165 months for each charge. As part of his sentencing, he was also ordered to pay restitution for his son's funeral expenses.
