‘Homophobic’ man accused of murdering his teenage gay son appears in court
Wendell Melton's former wife says her son was shot because he was gay
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man who has been accused of murdering his teenage son allegedly because he was gay has appeared in court.
Two years ago, Wendell Melton was arrested for the alleged murder of his 14-year-old son Giovanni and his mother, Veronica, claims her partner shot and killed their son because he was gay.
While speaking to Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNTV, Veronica said: “When my son died, I died. I died that day. My heart was broken.
“When I was married to him, he would make very disparaging remarks against people that were gay, and to me I know that he was homophobic.”
Wendell – who appeared in a Nevada court last week – claimed Giovanni’s death was an accident after an argument got physical and said he didn’t mean to pull the trigger.
Veronica said her son had come out to her two months before he was murdered. Wendell – who has been on house arrest since last year – faces charges of open murder, felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and first-degree felony child abuse.
Wendell Melton’s next court appearance is scheduled for February.