A 19-year-old man in Florida is facing a manslaughter charge after he allegedly killed his father during a disagreement over food.
According to police reports from Melbourne, around 70 miles southeast of Orlando, officers received a call on the evening of Sunday, January 19. The call was concerning a man who was found “unresponsive” following a fight with his son at their home.
The emergency medics arrived at about 10 p.m., responding to the scene where the father, 45-year-old Francis Welch, was reportedly turning “yellow/pale” and was unresponsive, as noted in the arrest affidavit.
The young man, identified as Julien Welch-Beddoe, told medics that the altercation began during a heated discussion about food. He mentioned he was preparing a plate of food when his father confronted him, saying he didn’t deserve the food because he wasn’t working. Despite his father’s words, Julien went ahead and made himself a plate. As he was going to his room, his father pushed him.
Julien then claimed he put his father in a headlock and punched him in the ribs two or three times. The fight eventually ended on the floor, with Welch’s fiancée stepping in to break it up.
After releasing his father, Julien stated that he thought Francis was fine. However, five minutes later, he heard his father’s fiancée screaming and found his father unresponsive on the couch.
Emergency services took Francis to a nearby hospital, but he passed away early on January 20. The medical examiner concluded that he had sustained three broken ribs and a lacerated spleen, which led to internal bleeding and his death, all due to blunt force injuries.
It was also revealed that Francis had a blood alcohol level of .391 at the time of his death, while Julien was sober during the incident.
The young man has been charged with manslaughter and entered a not guilty plea on February 6. His bond was set at $50,000, with the condition of no contact with his father’s relatives. Julien is scheduled to appear in court again on March 25.
