HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – A judge granted bond Monday for the Henrico man accused of killing his father.
A judge granted 21-year-old Michael Luedecke a $500,000 bond after hearing witnesses describe what it was really like inside the home on the night of the killing.
Luedecke’s mother, who hugged her supporters outside of the court, was unable to comment because the judge issued a gag order in the case.
However, CBS 6 News crews were inside the courtroom when the defense, prosecutors and witnesses shed light on exactly what happened inside of this small home near Regency Square Mall.
That’s where prosecutors said the 21-year old shot his 51-year old father, Jeffrey Luedecke.
The most graphic witness testimony came when Michael’s brother, Jonathan, took the stand defending his brother. He said that there were more than 40- loaded firearms in the house and that his father was on 20 different medications.
He said his father was "more aggressive than usual" on the night of his killing -- and kept yelling, “I'm going to kill you all."
Jonathan admitted that after the repeated threats, he told his brother "prepare your gun," because he said they took the threat seriously.
Later in the evening when the father allegedly ignited another round of arguments, he was shot while struggling to get a rifle, like one in Jonathan’s room.
Prosecutors only asked the judge to keep Luedecke behind bars because of the murder charge against him.
However, the judge disagreed saying that Luedecke has no prior criminal history and is respected by those he knows, including fellow TSA agents at Richmond International Airport.
Additionally, the judge did not see him as a threat since all firearms were removed from the property.
Luedecke will return to court for a preliminary hearing before going to trial in mid-January.
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