DULUTH, MN – A Duluth man is facing charges after authorities say he fatally shot his mother as she rested in a living room recliner, leaving behind a gruesome scene investigators described as particularly violent.

Nathan Davin, 46, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 74-year-old mother, MaeDean Davin. Police responded to the family’s home on North 9th Avenue East Saturday after neighbors reported that Davin, bloodied and dressed only in boxers, had come to their doors saying that someone had died. One neighbor recalled Davin telling them his mother was dead and implying she had taken her own life.

Upon arrival, officers found Davin outside the home and noticed blood on his hands. Davin initially claimed he had discovered his mother dead, but made conflicting and incriminating statements to the police. Once inside, officers discovered MaeDean Davin had suffered a devastating gunshot wound to the face while seated in her recliner. Details in the criminal complaint described a significant amount of blood at the scene and injuries suggesting blunt force trauma in addition to the gunshot.

Investigators also noted unsettling graffiti inside the home, with symbols and phrases such as “go to hell” spray-painted on the walls. In an upstairs bedroom, police located a Glock 9 mm pistol with blood on it, along with matching ammunition and shell casings found on both floors of the house.

According to statements made in court, the forensic evidence suggested MaeDean Davin was asleep in the recliner at the time of the shooting. Officers observed that the injury to her head was particularly severe, and the gunshot wound was described as being the size of a baseball.

While being transported and later, as he sat alone in a recorded interview room, Davin was overheard making comments about killing his mother. Despite his initial denial and claims of having simply found his mother deceased, authorities say he ultimately made statements acknowledging responsibility for her death. At the time of the arrest, police noted signs of intoxication.

Officials have not provided information on a possible motive for the killing. Davin’s past criminal record is minimal, with prior offenses limited mostly to traffic violations and a dismissed assault charge from nearly two decades ago.

Davin is currently being held in the St. Louis County Jail with bail set at $750,000 as he awaits his next court appearance scheduled for September 15.

MaeDean Davin was remembered on a community fundraising site as a compassionate individual who contributed several years as an educator at Summit School in Duluth. An administrator at the school mourned her death online, describing her dedication to students and her gentle spirit.

Duluth, a city of about 86,000, is located along the shores of Lake Superior, approximately 150 miles north of Minneapolis.