L.A. Father Charged With Killing Son Because He Was Gay 

Shehadeh Khalil Issa, a 69-year-old father in the North Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, is accused of fatally shooting his son because he was gay.

Amir Issa, 29, was found shot dead outside the family home Tuesday, along with his mother, who was found stabbed to death in the bathroom, reports The Los Angeles Daily News. The father was charged with murder Friday.

Prosecutors allege that Amir Issa was murdered because of his sexual orientation, and his killing, "because of the victims' association with a person and a group of that status, considered a hate crime," they said. Amir's father had previously threatened to kill his son because of his sexuality, reported the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The father reportedly told police that he found his wife dead at the home, and heard noises, so he grabbed his gun, and then came across his son outside. He claims that his son was wielding a knife and threatening him, and that's when the shooting happened, he told police.

"The suspect made incriminating statements implicating himself in the death of (the son) and was arrested for murder," Operations Valley Bureau homicide Detective John Doerbecker told the Daily News. The father told police that his son threatened him with a knife, but there was no knife found on the scene.

Police allege the father used a shotgun to kill his son, reports the Los Angeles Times. A felony complaint filed against the father includes "a special allegation that Issa intentionally discharged a shotgun, which caused great bodily injury and death," reports the Daily News.

The detective told the Daily News that the father and son were having problems, and the father claimed that Amir had vandalized the home. The couple was making attempts to evict their son. Neighbors frequently heard yelling coming from inside the house.

The mother's name has yet to be released, but an investigation into her death is ongoing, reported prosecutors.

Shehada Khalil Issa is charged with one count of premeditated murder. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The father is being held in Men's Central Jail without bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on April 11 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando.

Watch a video report, via Los Angeles TV station KCAL, below.