Father accused of murder ‘would rather have dead son than gay son’

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A 14-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his own father, and those close to the boy say it was because his father hated the fact that he was gay.

Giovanni Melton was allegedly shot and killed by 53-year-old Wendell Melton in the apartment where Giovanni stayed alone after the two of them argued over Giovanni’s sexual orientation.

People close to Giovanni said that this was not the first time the two of them had argued over Giovanni’s sexual orientation, either.

“Giovanni was abused physically and mentally and spiritually for many, many years,” said Sonja Jones, Giovanni’s former foster mom, who confirmed that Wendell had issues with his son being gay.

“He hated the fact that his son was gay,” Jones told CBS affiliate News3LV. “I’m sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son.”

Jones added that this wasn’t the first time Giovanni had been threatened by his father, recalling, “I’m hearing his dad had caught him with his boyfriend before and pulled out a gun on him.”

Now, Jones is calling for justice for Giovanni, saying of his father, “I hope they throw the book at him. I hope he never sees the light of day. I hope every day when he looks in the mirror, he sees his son’s face.”