A father from Sacramento, Calif., is accused of murdering his 9-year-old with a hatchet. The victim, Matthew Hernandez, was asleep on the couch when his father, Phillip Raymond Hernandez, 36, broke through the sliding glass door and attacked his son.
An adult family member living at the residence woke up when the sliding glass door was broken and found Hernandez standing over his son with the hatchet. The family member tried to stop Hernandez, but was pushed aside by Hernandez, who then began attacking his son.
When officers with the Sacramento Police Department arrived at the scene, they found the boy deceased. Hernandez was no where to be found. Officers located him about fifteen minutes later, walking around the neighborhood. He was arrested without incident.
Family member Chris Duran told CBS13, “He had full custody of his children. He was a good father, never spanked his kids, or did anything that way. He was just a total opposite of the situation as the father he was.”
“My little brother was friends with the little kids that live there, so it’s kind of sad to actually see my little brother. It was his little friend and now to see that his little friend is not here no more, it’s sad,” neighbor Aretza Loza told CBS13.
Matthew’s 12-year-old brother was also home at the time of the murder, but he was not harmed. The victim’s mother is out of state and is on her way home.