LAKE WALES, Fla. — A homicide investigation is ongoing involving a father who killed his 16-year-old son in Lake Wales, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Grady Judd explained that 16-year-old Stephen Rodda was staying with his grandfather, Thomas Rodda, at a mobile home in the area of Old Bartow Road and State Road 60 to help out while his grandmother was in rehab.
The teen's father, 37-year-old Stephen Rodda, typically moves around the country but had returned to town about a month ago, Judd said.
Around 8 a.m. on Monday, Thomas Rodda went to visit with his wife in rehab and returned to find his son outside the home. Stephen Rodda reportedly told his father, according to the sheriff, "I wouldn't go in there if I was you. I killed someone. You may need to call the police."
Judd said Thomas Rodda then entered the home to find his grandson dead in the kitchen-dining room area. At this time, investigators believe Stephen Rodda killed his 16-year-old son with an angle grinder.
"There aren’t adequate words to explain how horrific this event is," Judd said. "To have this worthless individual murder his son is [inexplicable]."
Stephen Rodda reportedly fled the scene and was arrested about a mile away.
The 37-year-old has used methamphetamine since he was in high school and is known to have "psychotic" episodes, according to Judd. He also reportedly has extensive criminal histories in several states, including an arrest warrant in South Carolina.
"We don’t know why did he what he did today other than he’s a nasty, nasty evil person," Judd said. "He's evil. He's irrational."
The sheriff said, "The family is in absolute total shock” as they mourn the loss of 16-year-old Stephen Rodda. The teen, a Frostproof High School junior, was set to start a new job at Burger King next week to save up money for a car.
"He was just a standup, stellar young man," Judd said. "The world lost a great young man today."
It was just over a week ago that Judd spoke following a similar tragedy involving a mother who killed her two children and fatally shot herself.
He said that over his several decades in law enforcement, he's periodically seen parents kill children but never this frequently.
“I can’t remember it happening twice in eight days in my entire career, and certainly we’ll never understand that," the sheriff said.
You can watch the full news conference below.