In a horrific case of domestic violence, an 18-year-old man and his stepfather have been charged with murder after the teenage boy allegedly beat his mother to death while his stepfather watched, before the pair burned her body in a fire pit on their family property.
Gabriel Vilchez and his 64-year-old stepfather, David Gardiner, appeared in court charged with the murder and abuse of a corpse of Silvia Vilchez. The charges follow the discovery of the woman's charred remains on the family's property in Sequatchie County, Tennessee.
A Deceptive Story and a Gruesome Discovery
The investigation began after concerned friends of Silvia Vilchez contacted police about her unexplained disappearance. When officers arrived at the family home, both Gabriel Vilchez and David Gardiner allegedly claimed Silvia had traveled to her native Costa Rica.
Authorities, finding the story suspicious, obtained a search warrant. During the search, they made a gruesome discovery in the family's home office. Detective Bryan Wilkie described the scene at a preliminary hearing on December 8: "There were red-brown stains on the garbage, on all four walls... There was blood on the desk, on the printer, on the baseboards, all over the walls."
Conflicting Confessions and Charges
The search later extended to the yard, where investigators found charred human remains in a fire pit, later identified as Silvia's.
During police interviews, Gabriel Vilchez allegedly admitted to beating his mother with a baseball bat in the office, dragging her body outside, and burning it. In a second interview, he claimed his stepfather, David Gardiner, watched the attack and also struck Silvia with the bat before they burned her together.
David Gardiner provided a starkly different account. He told police he was a "heavy sleeper" and slept through the entire incident, claiming to have no knowledge of what happened.
Despite the conflicting stories, both men have been formally charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. A judge has set Gardiner's bond at $250,000 and ordered Gabriel Vilchez to be held without bail. Their next court date is scheduled for January 30.
A Separate, Tragic Case of Filial Violence
The report also highlights another devastating case of a child killing a parent, this time in Russia. Authorities allege that a 13-year-old schoolgirl slit her mother's throat and set fire to their apartment after her mother confiscated her mobile phone following arguments about her online activity.
The girl initially claimed an intruder was responsible but later confessed under police questioning. She alleged her mother "constantly bullied her" and had slapped her on the night of the killing. Because she is below the age of criminal responsibility in Russia, she cannot face trial for the murder.
*Source: Mirror Online*
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