A joke about a Hollywood star led to a man murdering his father, a witness says.
The Miami Herald reports that the witness, inmate Michael Nistal, made the claim to Miami-Dade jurors on Tuesday in the trial of 21-year-old Jason Beckman. He's accused of murdering his father, South Miami City Commissioner Jay Beckman, in April 2009.
Nistal said Beckman told him that, before the killing, he and his father had been discussing "Transformers'" star Megan Fox.
Beckman's father joked that his son "wouldn't know what to do with that," Nistal testified. “So he went and got a shotgun and blew his head off. He missed his head and shot his face and part of his neck.”
The Miami New Times reports that prosecutors argue Beckman talked openly about killing his father for a while before the shooting.
The defense is "expected to either argue that the shooting was the result of an accident, self-defense or possibly insanity," according to the New Times.
Beckman was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism, CBS Miami reports.
"Jason always had a serious look on his face, never expressed emotion,” defense attorney Tara Kawass said in his opening statement earlier this month. "He was different, awkward, always speaking at inappropriate times, saying outlandish things. But he was never violent and never aggressive.”
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