August trial set for Indiana teen accused of killing father
- 17-year-old charged with father's murder
- Police still haven't found Brandon Perry's body
- Though he's a minor, accused is set to be tried as adult
(NewsNation) — A jury trial has been set for August in the case of an Indiana teenager accused of killing his father.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is still looking for the body of 35-year-old HVAC technician Brandon Perry, though they believe that his son, 17-year-old David Perry, dumped him in the White River near Martinsville.
Officers are still running constant patrol at the river as well as the house where authorities say Brandon Perry was killed. A police officer who pulled into the driveway of the house Friday declined to answer a NewsNation reporter’s questions.
NewsNation local affiliate WXIN reports that Brandon Perry’s sister had told authorities he was missing. A recently filed probable cause affidavit shows that she had found blood on the bottom of her brother’s mattress, with investigators later finding signs of blood on the basement stairs as well.
A cadaver dog pointed police to a burn pit on the property, where inside, they found Brandon Perry’s charred license, damaged credit cards and a business card.
Court documents, according to WXIN, say that Brandon Perry’s sister told police that David told her “his dad is in the White River and that he was in a trash can.”
After police surveyed David Perry’s GPS data on his phone, he was placed under arrest.
Neighbors told NewsNation that before this, the father and son had lived a quiet life. One said news of this crime has sent shockwaves through the neighborhood.
“We’ve lived here 40-some years,” Steve Deckard said. “Never seen anything like this out here.”
David Perry, who is charged with murder and dangerous possession of a firearm, is currently being held at a juvenile detention center. He had his first court appearance just yesterday. Because David Perry is a juvenile, police did not release a booking photo, though he is still being tried as an adult.