Kentucky Man Stabbed Father in Church After He Was 'Moved by the Message'
A Kentucky man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to stabbing his father during a church service last year, PEOPLE confirms.
Ethan Buckley, 21, reportedly told officials he was “moved by the message” before stabbing his father in the neck. He was charged with first-degree assault.
On August 14, Buckley was arrested after a church pastor told police he was standing at the altar and heard a “weird noise,” according to the Bowling Green Daily News.
According to the paper, the pastor heard Buckley’s father say, “Don’t let him kill me, don’t let him kill me.”
Another pastor heard the disturbance and jumped over chairs to get Buckley off his father. Buckley’s father was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
In an affidavit for a search warrant, Bowling Green Police Department detective Mike Nade wrote, “Ethan Buckley stated his father’s time here on earth was up because he had done a lot of good things in life.”
Nade continued, “Ethan Buckley stated he resented his father because his father was such a good guy while he was a screw-up and a drug addict.”
Chris Cohron, commonwealth’s attorney for the eighth judicial circuit, would not comment on the details of the case.
Pick up PEOPLE’s special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenét Ramsey and more.
Cohron said Buckley must serve at least 8 years before being considered for any type of release, according to reports. Since he pleaded with mental illness, his sentence allows him to have mental health resources available to him.
Buckley’s attorney James Rhorer did not return a call to his office.
