LAKE WALES, Fla. — A man is accused of killing his son by striking him with an angle grinder at a Central Florida residence on Monday, authorities said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Stephen Thomas Rodda, 37, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly killing his son, Stephen Rodda, 16, at a mobile home in Lake Wales.
According to an affidavit, Stephen Thomas Rodda “viciously and brutally” hit his son’s head with an angle grinder so hard that it broke the tool, WFLA-TV reported. An angle grinder is a handheld power tool that is used for grinding and polishing and can cut through metal.
The elder Rodda appeared in court on Tuesday and told a judge that he had a “pardon from Montana” and gave a false name during his arraignment, according to WTVT. During his 30-second appearance, Rodda also told the judge that he “owns the NFL,” according to the television station.
During a news conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd called the teen “a good kid” who was an 11th grader at Frostproof and was about to start a job at Burger King so he could earn money to buy a car. The boy also was studying to become an electrician, the sheriff told reporters.
Stephen Rodda had moved in with Thomas Rodda, his 65-year-old grandfather, to help while his grandmother was rehabilitating an injury, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Thomas Rodda had returned from visiting his wife on Monday when he saw his son waiting outside the residence at about 11 a.m. EDT.
“His quote was, ‘I wouldn’t go in there if I was you, I killed someone. You may need to call the police,’” Judd told reporters.
Thomas Rodda went inside the mobile home and found his grandson “deceased in the dining room,” the sheriff said.
Stephen Thomas Rodda attempted to flee Polk County but deputies caught him about a mile from the scene, the Times reported.
“He told our deputy, ‘You probably need to read me my rights,’” Judd said. “And that’s exactly what we did.”
Judd said deputies have not found a motive for the teen’s death, the Times reported.
“Our prayers are with the family, and I want you to know that the world lost a great young man today,” Judd told reporters. “We lost a great young man, and we’ve got an evil, evil man in custody, and we’re going to do our best to see he spends the rest of his life in prison.”
