Gilbert, AZ – On Sunday, December 25, just before 4:30 PM, Gilbert PD responded to a call where it was reported that a vehicle had backed into a home near Recker and Warner Roads. Responding officers located an 80-year-old male victim with gunshot wounds inside the vehicle. Life saving measures were attempted but unsuccessful, and the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no other reported injuries.
Additional officers on-scene contacted a male relative of the victim who had exited from a nearby home and made statements about the shooting. “I should have killed him a long time ago,” he told police, according to court records.
The man identified as 48-year-old Michael Kaser was taken into custody. Through the subsequent investigation and witness statements, it was alleged that Kaser had shot his stepfather upon returning from a family dinner.
KPHO reported: During an interview with authorities, Kaser again reportedly admitted to the murder. He said that he was in the car with his mother and stepfather, on their way home from a Christmas dinner, and that he got out of the car as the car approached their house. Kaser then retrieved a .380 handgun from the home, walked back outside, and fired several shots through the windshield on the driver’s side as Kinney was pulling into the driveway. Kaser alleged that his stepfather had physically and mentally abused him and his mother for years. he also said that he had thought about killing Kinney for the better part of 20 years and had almost killed him before.
Kaser was arrested and booked at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office ITR Facility for one count of first-degree murder.
The investigation is ongoing.
