The son charged with the murder of his father faced a Lee County judge Monday morning for a plea hearing.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office charged Jake Hemmert for the murder of his father, Brian Hemmert, in September 2023.
Brian Hemmert’s body was found inside his River Hall home in a freezer. He was 60 years old.
Hemmert withdrew his not guilty plea and plead no contest. He is facing a 30-year sentence in prison, with 25 years minimum and a 10-year period state probation.
According to LCSO, Jake Hemmert shot his father in bed, but he claimed that it was a suicide request from his father.
Jake Hemmert cleaned the bloody mattress and put it in the attic covered in trash bags before spending over $30,000 on his father’s credit cards, according to reports.
Jake Hemmert claimed his father went missing. He said the last time he saw Brian Hemmert was when he dropped him off at the Punta Gorda Airport for a trip to Utah.
Reports state Jake Hemmert changed his story when he said his father fled the country to fight human trafficking.
Investigations revealed that a large chest freezer was delivered to the home and was found hidden, covered in supplies.
The freezer was still running but had been duct-taped closed. Detectives say when they opened it, they found Brian Hemmert’s body.
Fingerprints were taken that traced back to Jake. He then admitted to shooting his father, cleaning the scene, destroying the mattress and spending as much as $30,000 on his father’s credit cards.
Jake Hemmert is facing charges of second-degree murder, credit card fraud and grand theft.
Hemmert appeared in court at 9 a.m. Monday.
You can count on NBC2 to provide updates as they are received.
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Source: nbc-2
