California Man Accused of Decapitating Parents Belts Out Tina Turner Song After Being Shot by Police
Joseph Brandon Gerdvil can be seen approaching a sheriff’s deputy while holding some kind of metal object, but he was shot when he failed to listen to the deputy’s commands, officials said.
Aug. 28 2024, Published 12:09 p.m. ET
A man in California accused of decapitating his parents and killing their dog started singing Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” after he was shot by a sheriff’s deputy, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On July 9, Joseph Brandon Gerdvil, 41, was arrested on suspicion of killing his parents, 77-year-old Ronald Walter Gerdvil and 79-year-old Antoinette Gerdvil, in their San Juan Capistrano home, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
In the body cam footage, shots can be seen being fired at Gerdvil as he was walking towards them in blood-soaked clothing.
Body camera video released by the sheriff’s department shows a blood-soaked Gerdvil with what appears to be a metal object in his hand as he is walking towards the deputy. Once he is shot, he can be heard swearing and singing while on the ground wounded.
The incident started when Gerdvil sent photos of his bloodied mother to a cousin, officials said.
A closer look shows a metal object in the hands of Gerdvil as he approached the officer.
That cousin called 911 around 7:30 a.m. to report a possible domestic assault on their elderly relatives at a mobile home community in San Juan Capistrano, according to authorities.
The cousin claimed to police that her cousin suffers from mental health issues and he allegedly had been violent in the past.
Another 911 call came in from a maintenance worker at that same mobile home community. The worker reported getting chased by a bloodied man with a fork who then drove off in a maintenance golf cart, police said.
After shots were fired by the officer, Gerdvil laid on the ground and started talking and singing.
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Responding deputies found a person on the ground bleeding and a gruesome scene inside the home. One deputy told dispatchers, “There’s a head on the counter.”
A short time later, Gerdvil reappeared on a bike path and approached an officer as she sat in her vehicle.
Police said Gerdvil threw a shovel at the officer’s vehicle and then drove off again in the golf cart.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office has released the body cam footage from the incident.
The next incidents, also captured on the body camera footage, show a blood-soaked Gerdvil parking the golf cart on the sidewalk and then approaching a deputy while carrying some kind of metal object, which was later determined to be a meter reader.
Gerdvil ignored the deputy’s orders and yelled something unintelligible before the officer fired five times, the footage shows. While it is unclear how many times Gerdvil was hit, the unnamed deputy who shot him told other deputies on the scene that he was aiming for the man's chest and stomach.
As he lay on the ground wounded, he said, “F*** you.” He then rolled onto his stomach and was handcuffed.
While facing the ground, Gerdvil can be heard telling the deputies “I love you” and “I’m sorry you’re gonna have to die.”
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As deputies were assessing the suspect's wounds, Gerdvil told them: “Finish me off” and “Put one in my head, please, I beg of you.”
While first responders were at the crime scene, Gerdvil reportedly broke into song, singing: “What’s love got to do with it. What’s love, but a second hand emotion?" — lyrics from the 1984 Tina Turner hit.
Gerdvil then switched to a Stevie Wonder song, singing: “I just called to say I love you.”
Gerdvil was arrested and booked on suspicion of two counts of homicide, and he remains at the hospital, authorities said.
No deputies were injured during the incident and the shooting is under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The killings are under investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department homicide detail.
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