“I cut his head off,” the suspect allegedly told his mother, along with a reason why — after she found her ex’s decapitated body and police later discovered his head in a “secret room” in her home, which she shared with her son.
An Indiana man allegedly cut off his father’s head and brought it home with him before a four-hour standoff with police.
Thirty-three-year-old Bryce Winnecke has been charged with murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of his father, 73-year-old Erich V. Winnecke Sr. — the latter of whom’s body was found decapitated in his home, before his head was discovered at a second location.
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It all began last Friday morning when Bryce’s mother called in a welfare check for Erich, her ex-husband, believing her son had done something to him. According to the probable cause affidavit — via WDRB and WLKY — she said there was some “serious contention” between them and Bryce had been “very upset” with his dad for some time. She also said he had been “delusional and acting very weird” recently and claimed he had just run out of the home with a knife.
Before police arrived at Erich’s home, the mother and one of her other sons went there and found his body in his bedroom. Per the docs, she then said she called Bryce and he told her, “I killed him. I went over to dad’s because he is the evilest person that ever lived. I cut his head off.”
According to authorities, Erich’s body was covered in stab wounds, while blood spatter was all over the walls and ceiling; the victim’s head was not found at the home. A knife, around 12-14 inches long, was also reportedly found at the scene — though the blade had been damaged, possibly from the stabbing.
Ring footage from Erich’s home showed Bryce leaving the house “plastic bag with an object of significant size” that morning, while officers then observed Bryce outside his mother’s home — where he lived — carrying a bag with something inside “approximately the size of a human head.”
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He retreated inside the house, leading to a four-hour standoff with authorities, after which he emerged from the home and was taken in without incident. Following Bryce’s arrest, police said they found the head in a plastic bag in a “secret room” under the stairs.
“The head was compared to a known government issued ID of Erich V. Winnecke and identified as being the head removed from the body of the victim …,” police said.
It’s unclear when exactly Erich was killed, though he and Bryce’s mother allegedly spoke about their son’s behavior on the evening of Wednesday, August 13. Ring camera, meanwhile, showed Bryce at Erich’s door later that night.
Bryce has a hearing set for August 20.
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