Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee's nephew charged in father's slaying

GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The nephew of Congressman Dan Kildee is charged with murdering his father, who was the brother of the politician. 

Timothy John Kildee, 27, is accused of fatally shooting his father, Timothy Edward Kildee, Tuesday morning. 

Timothy was arraigned Thursday on numerous charges, including felony murder, felony firearms, armed robbery, carjacking, operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, carrying a concealed weapon, first-degree home invasion, and interfering with electronic communications devices. He is facing 16 counts.

Authorities say Timothy first broke into his sister's home in Burton, pulled a gun on her, and then stole her cellphone. After that, he allegedly went to his father's home in Vienna Township.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said the brother of the suspect heard the younger Timothy demand his father's keys and wallet before hearing a gunshot. 

After killing his father, Timothy, who authorities believe was intoxicated, fled the Neff Road home in his father's vehicle. He was arrested after crashing into another pickup truck, causing minor injuries to the occupants.

Timothy sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized. He was arraigned from his hospital bed. 

"In discussions with the family, there is potentially issues of mental health," Leyton said. "There may very well be issues of competence and criminal responsibility."

A judge denied bond for the murder charge and set a combined bond of $1.4 million for the other felony charges. If convicted, the suspect could spend life behind bars. 

An investigation is ongoing, and detectives are still searching for a motive. In the meantime, authorities have been providing support to the Kildee family, who has asked for privacy.

"I spent some time with the congressman yesterday. As you might expect, he's hurting. It's a very difficult situation for him and his entire family," Leyton said.

There will be a private family service for the victim, Tim Kildee, on Monday. Visitation will be at Sharp Funeral Home on Sunday. In the meantime, the family is asking that contributions be made to Genesee County Prevention Coalition – a group that helps with substance abuse and mental health.

"Congressman Kildee has been a supporter of our efforts here locally in Genesee County to address the local issues and concerns around substance use and misuse," said Lisa Fockler, the executive director of Genesee County Prevention Coalition.

Fockler said it is very important for people to know that resources are available.

"Sometimes these tragedies bring about this kind of awareness," she said. "But we're here doing this work every day, trying to prevent these types of tragedies from happening in our community."

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