A Dallas man arrested for the murder of his father allegedly told police that he committed the crime and wanted to turn himself in, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Police responded to a call in the 3200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on September 27 at roughly 6:35 p.m., the Dallas Police Department said.
The call was reportedly made by Mark Beechum, 28, who allegedly said he wanted to turn himself in for a murder.
Officers arrived at the location and took Beechum into custody. Following the arrest, officers went to the 500 block of W. Saner Avenue, where they found the man’s father, Leamon Beechum, 75, dead on the floor of his home.
Beechum allegedly told investigators that his relationship with his father was “volatile,” and the two fought whenever they spoke, per The Dallas Morning News.
The arrest warrant affidavit states that the arguments mostly revolved around the father’s car. Beechum said he purchased a firearm just two days before the incident due to a concern for his safety, per the DMN.
Beechum and his father allegedly got into an argument about the car on the day of the incident. His father said, “Do you want to die?” Beechum claimed his father reached for a kitchen knife and that he had to pry the knife out of his father’s hands, wrestling him to the floor.
Once he had his father on the ground, Beechum allegedly told investigators that he no longer feared for his life but chose to strangle his father out of anger, per the DMN.
Beechum is currently in custody in Dallas County jail with a bond set at $350,000, according to prison records.
The incident took place in City Council District 7, which is represented by Council Member Adam Bazaldua.
Murder and nonnegligent homicides have continued to rise in Dallas throughout 2023, up by 9.6% as of October 5 when compared to last year, according to the Dallas crime analytics overview dashboard.
Dallas is also experiencing a shortage of police officers. A City report states that 4,000 officers would be needed to adequately manage crime in a city the size of Dallas, but there are fewer than 3,200 officers currently serving in the department.
Downtown Dallas has felt the impact of the shortage, regularly logging higher crime rates than downtown Fort Worth, which has a dedicated police unit patrolling the neighborhood alongside private security guards.