Montgomery County prosecutors say forensic findings undermined a son’s account that his father shot himself.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A 23-year-old Trappe man was charged with murder after an autopsy and police investigation found that his father’s February shooting death was not self-inflicted, Montgomery County prosecutors said.

Justin Wilson is accused of killing his father, 61-year-old Kevin Wilson, inside their home on Dewees Place and then reporting the death as a suicide. The case moved from a death investigation to a homicide charge after authorities said the wound, the scene and Wilson’s changing statements did not fit his account. Prosecutors said the fatal shot came from a handgun that belonged to Justin Wilson and had been bought less than a month before Kevin Wilson died.

Pennsylvania State Police were sent to the home at 12:19 a.m. Feb. 1 after Justin Wilson called 911 and said his father had shot himself. Troopers found Kevin Wilson lying on a bed in his bedroom with a single gunshot wound to the head. They also found signs that the room had not been calm before the shot. Officials described blood on Justin Wilson’s cheeks and on several pieces of clothing, including his hoodie sweatshirt, shorts, socks and sneakers. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said the arrest followed a joint investigation by county detectives and state police. Capt. Jonathan Sunderlin, commander of Pennsylvania State Police Troop K, joined Steele in announcing the charge May 1.

The medical findings became the center of the case. Forensic pathologist Dr. Khalil Wardak performed the autopsy Feb. 2 and found Kevin Wilson died from a gunshot wound to the head. After more testing, Wardak ruled the manner of death a homicide. Prosecutors said the body showed several details that were inconsistent with a self-inflicted shot, including the wound characteristics, stippling, placement and bullet path. They also cited a lack of blood on Kevin Wilson’s hands and stippling on his face. Those details led investigators to question the 911 report almost from the start. Authorities have not publicly released every test result or the full forensic report, but they said the medical evidence was strong enough to rule out the account first given to police.

Investigators also focused on the gun. Prosecutors said the firearm used in the shooting belonged to Justin Wilson and had been purchased Jan. 10, less than a month before his father’s death. Police said the handgun was found at the scene after the 911 call. According to accounts from the investigation, Justin Wilson told troopers that he and his father argued while watching a UFC fight. He described the argument as a confrontation about parenting and past emotional pain. In one version, he said he saw his father shoot himself. In another, he said he heard the gunshot while walking away. In a later account, he said he had gone to his room to play Fortnite while wearing a gaming headset when he heard the shot.

Prosecutors said those accounts kept changing as the investigation moved forward. They said Justin Wilson gave “widely inconsistently, evolving and conflicting accounts” of what happened that night. Police also reported that the home showed possible signs of a struggle, including damage and displaced items near bedroom areas. Justin Wilson denied a physical fight, according to reports about the affidavit, even as investigators noted the condition of the house and the blood on him. The case file also described remarks he made about hollow point ammunition and the reliability of his Taurus G3 handgun. Authorities said those remarks did not settle what happened, but they became part of a larger pattern that led detectives away from his first report.

Family statements added another layer. Relatives told investigators that Kevin Wilson had been worried about his son’s behavior before the shooting. One relative said Kevin Wilson had talked about sleeping with a gun because he was afraid of Justin Wilson. Others described years of conflict between father and son, including insults and public humiliation. According to accounts from the affidavit, Justin Wilson called his father names such as “fat hog” and “slob” and told him he had ruined his life. A sister of Kevin Wilson told detectives she did not believe he would have taken his own life. She described him as happy in recent months, active in his church and involved in a singles meet-up group where he felt valued.

The allegations remain unproven in court. Justin Wilson was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, tampering with evidence, false reports to law enforcement, possessing an instrument of crime and related offenses. Prosecutors said there is no bail for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania, and Wilson was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman is assigned to prosecute the case. As of the charging announcement, Wilson was awaiting arraignment, and a preliminary hearing was expected to be scheduled. A later report listed May 19 as his next court date. His defense position had not been fully presented in public filings.

The case has drawn attention in Trappe because of how sharply the official story changed. At first, police responded to a home where a son said his father had shot himself. Three months later, prosecutors said the same son had staged or misreported key parts of the death scene. The home on Dewees Place became the place where investigators compared a late-night emergency call, a single gunshot wound, the condition of a bedroom and family accounts of a troubled relationship. The district attorney’s office said the charges are allegations and that Wilson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case remains in Montgomery County court, where the next major step is a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors must show enough evidence there for the charges to move forward.

Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.