E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAn 18-year-old Florida youth with a history of mental health issues shot his mother and her boyfriend to death in their bed and then called 911 to surrender, sheriff’s officials said Sunday.
Benjamin K. Bishop is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shotgun slayings of his mother, Imari Shibata, and her boyfriend, Kelley Allen, both 49, at the mother's home in Oldsmar.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Bishop shot the pair multiple times early Sunday morning following a series of arguments with his mother.
According to a sheriff’s press release:
Bishop advised detectives that on Saturday, October 27th, his mother told him to get a job, take his medicine for his mental health issues, and to start paying rent. Bishop said he also had a discussion with Allen over the laundry. Saturday night, Bishop said he was angry and retrieved the shotgun after the arguments, loaded the weapon and shot his mother and Allen in their bedroom. He told detectives he then reloaded the shotgun and shot them again.
Bishop called 911 to report the shootings and surrendered to deputies at his front door, sheriff’s officials said.
Detectives said a friend bought the shotgun for Bishop a couple of weeks ago at a local shop for $279. Bishop pawned a number of electronic items to get money to buy it, saying he needed the weapon for protection from gang members, according to the sheriff’s office.
Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com
Bishop has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the sheriff said. He requires medication for his mental health issues and reportedly had not always taken his medication as required, according to investigators.
The sheriff said Bishop was still on probation for a 2011 domestic battery incident in which he allegedly struck his mother and tried to strangle her.
More content from NBCNews.com:
Leave a Comment:
This sad story is just one of the many examples of poor parenting.
The mother's priorities were supposed to be entirely focused on her son.
Children with mental disabilities need a steady environment and the surety of a family who loves them.
By introducing a new individual whom didn't have his full trust and by telling the teenage son to get a job and become independent, that must have scared the kid to death.
Even healthy teenagers react to situations like that the same way.
It's very sad what happened and they surely didn't deserve that.
But the mother could have kept her relationship more discreet from her son so he didn't feel displaced or (if there is a father somewhere) the kid didn't think the boyfriend was taking the place of his biological father.
exactly poor parenting and poor parenthood on both of them. Sex is not all sex, its meant to be for the married couple. Do the teenager diserves punishment, no, its the parents that diserve the punishment.
Hey NO to communism,you are so right and hit it right on the head.It does have everything to do with parenting,and needs probably requires 20 hours a day.But you know what,we all can talk the talk but i would bet over half couldnt walk the walk,including myself.We all love our kids and would go to the extremes for our kids,and thats including me.But when its day in and day out,and you have a rebeles kid,you are going to come out with some tuff love,its only natrual.
On the other hand for a boyfriend of the mother to step in like that,probably fueled the fight,because im guessing,since they lived in a trailer park, and making things worse on him with his mother for not doing what he's told,i could just amagine how he told him to get a job.There is no happy ending to this,and there are alot of stories like this im sure.
How could anyone in their right mind buy a gun for a friend who has a mental illness? This friend should be also charged. He had a part on the murder of these two people. What if this kid went on a rampage and killed innocent people in his neighborhood? People need to be accountable for their stupid choices.
don't worry - he will be charged (in the US everyone is charged for anything ! - even if he's not guilty, he will be sentenced...!)
nop rj66, that mother was not trying to teach his son responsibility, that mother was teaching his son about adultery and she was trying to get away with her responsibility of having her son in the house. So I agree with that is an example of bad parenting and inmoral values on the part of the parent and her lover. And I agree with what no to communisn said.
pedrora - Adultery refers to people who are married and having sex with others. There is no indication that either the mother or boyfriend were married to anyone. Immoral behavior, perhaps! The problem doesn't sound like he killed because of immoral behavior, but being forced out of the house. Very difficult with mental problems to be forced out. Bad parenting? Of course! Sounds like mom didn't want the responsibility of her schizophrenic son anymore and boyfriend was helping to get him out.
Instead of mom and boyfriend's problem handled - the kid handled his problem! Very sad! Since there are no hospitals for the mentally ill anymore, the kid will be taken care of in jail.
well, schizo or not....he shot em....he was sane enough to call and surrender himself (obviously knowing he'd plead insane)...he's sane enough to be found guilty and serve two life sentences (preferably death)...he obviously refuses to take his medication as instructed, so there's obviously no help for him. give him a shot , put him to sleep, and bury him
Do you have any direct kinship ties to Hitler?
Sounds to me like this guy knew exactly what he was doing when he killed these two people.
How in the world has Obama name been brought into this! This murder knew what he was doing and planned it. He by his own admission reloaded the shotgun and shot them some more. Some bleeding hearts out there will use his mental illness as an excuse not to seek the death penality for him. He will be sent to a mental hospital and kept their until he finds God and says how sorry he is only to let out on society again. This just another indication how most gun laws do not keep mentally ill people from getting guns. Whatever nut case purchased the shotgun and gave it to this nut case should be prosecuted too! The Federal Firearms from 4473 asks if a person is purchasing a weapon for another person. Now that is a new on Bad Sexual behavior made him do it? What? I think him being a lazy a---s with a job, and not wanting anyone to tell him to get one to pay rent is what made him committ murder. Now he doesn't have to pay rent, we as tax payers have to support his sorry, a----s for the next 20 to 30 years until they release him back into society. No one taught him growing up that there are no free rides in life! I hope they put he Florida death penalty at work in this case! Then he won't have to worry about getting a job or paying rent. What he did was just another poor deranged excuse for not getting a damn job!
Don't understand much about how these things work, do you?
unfortuantely mentasl illness is something that for the most part could be still considered in the early stages of study! For so long many people and in fact many still do consider this to be a spiritual problem for the most part. Sadly studies are showing this to NOT be the case. For some reason if someone has cancer-we say-"I'm sorry to hear that!" however someone has a mental problem many run away and think in their mind that they may be "demon posessed". This is not the case-they are finding that many times it is a chemical imbalance that some times can be helped with dopromine, seritonin, etc, etc. Ironic, we do not tell someone to drive home without your glasses on but that is what we try to force someone dealing with mental illness to do such! As soneone that suffered from depression for many years and thankfully got help and medication, therapy for am now better. Now, some will say that I had a spiritual problem-did I? Considered that I went through a business failure, lose of my best friend due to brain cancer, loss of my Father in law to cancer(also best fishing buddy) in a short period of time. No it was not a spiritual problem but rather an overload of everything all at once. Thankfully, my wife was able to see what happened-got me into getting help, therapy, medication, etc. I was able to raise my head and NOW able to assist others that HIDE in shame believing it is still a spritual problem to see the light and not hide in shame but to shine again. Now-for some of you that will jump on the antireligious band wagon-HOW dare YOU! It is an education situation not a bashing problem! Also for many families living with a person with mental illness-keep seeking there is a solution out there. It may take years to recover from but it is there! Sometimes our local DR may be the wall that prevents getting help. you may have to move past that Dr who in good faith means well but is not knowledgeable to lead the way for you!! Hand Tight!
Goldfish-I can tell from reading that you come from a conservative background WHICH I do not fault! However, the old thought that sin is the cause of all illnesses, sicknesses, etc. is not correct. Remember when the blind was healed and brought before the elders----It was not sin that caused him to be that way! Jesus was trying to tell the masses that it was not sin otherwise all cancer, deformity, deaths, etc, etc is somehow result of sin is not correct! yes, if I live where radiation is high-yes I might can expect some abnormality to occur-but that is not sin. Your belief of sexual sin is some on the field-if I have multiple partners I can expect in future-aids, hiv, hpv, herpes, hepititus, etc, etc. But it is not the root of cancer unless hpv, etc. A person born with problems because 2 parents whose combination of genes completes a pattern that causes this person to be born this way-that is not a sin! Rather an unfortunate coming together of things. So please, educate yourself in the REAL medical education of how things works and not the traditional blaming everything on sin. Knowledge, studies, medical knowledge is showing more and more that things happen sometimes for no reason. Remember some babies born back in the '50s '60s from certain drugs that caused babies born witout arms, legs, etc. Was this a sin of the parents? No-sometime medicines that help one area causes problems in other areas. Sure this is man doing things-but remember if you want that God gives knowledge to people to invent, create, study, etc. Please, educate and get out of the thought that evil lurks behind every book, person, animal, etc-that is paranoidiah. The scriptures teaches that we shall not fear as we have an intercessor on our behalf!
So why not call the police before you kill them and say I am wanting to kill, please help. Why call after the fact?
I guess, your idea wont make sense to a mentally ill person ! :-)
guns = shootings
no guns = no shootings !
Hey guffnuts Volker,no guns=no shootings,so i quess i will pick up this butcher knife and stab them both 87 times each.We need to get rid of all knives,and pick up our meat with our hands to eat now.You are a morron,and need to get robbed at gun point,with you holding your "richard in your hand to understand what people mean by "our second amendment right".
Both the guy who bought the shotgun and the one who killed his mom should be shot with it
why would anybody buy or give a gun to someone with a mental illness? thats just plain stupid.they are just as guilty as the kid who pulled the trigger.
Hey Loslo,if its proven that he bought the gun for the boy,for whatever reason,knowing of his mental statis,he most like will be charged with accessory to murder,along with other charges.But if he bought the gun and can prove he stole it, then he is a free man,minus a shotgun of course.But to answer your question,i would bet this years tax deductions that it most likely had to do with money.
Does it even occur to women today that sleeping in your home, with a teenage son present, with a "boyfried" is immoral? Maybe these immoral women should take a good look at themselves and realize it's wrong to sleep around and expose your children to this immoral lifestyle. Where is the teens father? Wake up slutty women out there and quit jumping into bed with every tom, dick or harry - especially when there are children in the home who resent it and have no control over their mom's loose morals!
I agree meeche, my lover and I had a morale code, when children are around I am not to be around and I agree with that.
I agree with you Meeche! I was a single parent and my daughter never woke up to find some strange man in the house! Consequently, I was a mom 24/7. No problem! I wasn't going to have her face the problems of a single home. In order to raise her well, I had no life at all, other than working and being a mom. I was strong enough to do that, thank goodness, but many are not.
However, there is one thing missing in the equation. Why are men running from their responsibilities? Why are so very many men starting families and then deciding they don't want the responsibilities that go along with it? We need to examine what is happening in American culture. Women are blamed for everything, but are having to raise kids alone. Raising children is NOT a one person job - emotionally or financially!
An 18-year-old Florida youth with a history of mental health issues shot his mother and her boyfriend to death in their bed and then called 911 to surrender, sheriff’s officials said Sunday. The is the result of thou thou shall not kill. Its not about being mentally ill, its about a person wanting to have a good family instead of a broken one and the teenager reponded with agression. Always blaming the mentally illness, hey what about the parent whom is committing adultery they should get a blame for it. Adultery is punishable under any law.
No indication the mother or the boyfriend was married to anyone - so, not adultery!
Don't think the mother having a relationship is what threw him over the deep end. Being mentally ill and suddenly forced to take on all adult responsibilities at 18 was probably the problem. Scary enough these days if one is mentally stable!
Sounds like mom didn't want to care for mentally ill son anymore and boyfriend helping to get him out. Not a good combination.
I think a lot of you aren't quite understanding what Brenda is trying to say. She is stating that it's bad parenting because they expected a schizophrenic to get a job and pay rent. I have to agree that it was a bad move. If he was stable and consistently taking his meds, yes having a job is very possible. When you are not taking your meds, you're a ticking time bomb, and the parents should have known enough about the disease to have recognized the warning signs.
"According to Detectives a friend purchased it" NO @!$%#- This guy should NEVER have been allowed access to a GUN! The friend should be charged as they bypassed the mental health section on gun buying. That basically makes this a "Straw-Purchase" the friend should be charged. I am a stable and working adult. I own several guns. I follow the laws when I purchase each one, This includes background check and questionnaire about Mental Health problems.
Let this be a lesson to parents out there.The next time you interrupt your son or daughter over something stupid like get a job or do some chores around the house,or even dumber like do your homework,make sure you understand the consequences,is it really worth it.
For most kids this would be very normal and parents work with kids a step at a time - not all at once!
Big difference here is that the kid was schizophrenic. Usually parents of a kid with mental problems don't kick him out at 18 and expect them to handle everything to take care of themselves.
A mentally competent kid at 18 would be scared and angry too! Hopefully, not kill over it, but a huge thing to be "out the door". Only being 18, he couldn't have had much education either. In this economy even smart, mentally stable kids at 18 can't find jobs!
I don't blame him, I hate doing Laundry, now get a job and pay rent too? Justifiable all over the place.
Why say a stupid thing like that? Killing people is never justifiable. I do feel sorry for this young man with severe mental illness being expected to go on his own at 18, however. A very troubled young man, without the needed support from his mom and her boyfriend. Sounds like they just wanted to "get rid of the problem." Instead, he got rid of his problem!
Very, very sad! Wow, only 18 years old and schizophrenic. Too much put on him at one time. Get a job, move out, do the laundry, handle your life. 18 years old, with obviously very little education. Even a mentally stable kid might "wig out" a bit under those circumstances. Hopefully, not kill over it, but would be scared and angry. How is he supposed to "get a job"? Hard enough these days for mentally stable people to find a job with little education or lots of education!
I lost my parents early and was on my own a week after I turned 18. Thank goodness I had the mental stability to handle that. I was forced to find a job immediately, get a little apartment, etc., with no money to do it with, but there were family friends who co-signed so I could even get an apartment. Pretty scary, but, again, I was mentally competent to do it all with at least a little help from friends! They had no money, but assisted with a little "supportiveness".
Sounds like mom and the boyfriend wanted to get rid of him and the responsibilities. This should be a very careful and slow process for someone with his difficult mental problems.
Cast the blame huh - if one has mental issues, he/she is innocent as a dove - there is something called Americans with Disabilities Act which means, yes, persons with disabilities (of course, there may be exceptions) can get a JOB - so none of us was there to hear the tone in which the mother said to the man to get a JOB - in other words, she wasnt 'wicked' by making that suggestion!
I am also sure that the majority of you who are casting blame on the mother never lived with anyone who is schizophrenic, day in day out so you have no clue the utter frustration when a young adult refuse to take his medication that should help him -
The mother is dead - she is not here to defend her words
Incarceration? I think not. I don't care about his illness. Two lives brutally destroyed. His is now forfeit.
I bet that was the last straw with the Probation Officer.
His actions betray him. It looks to me like he killed his mother and her lover in anger knowing he could blame his mental illness. He had the fore thought to pawn items, purchase a gun and load it. He did not walk into the street with the gun or point it at anyone else. And it sounds like he had the gun concealed somewhere. He did not want to die that is why he arranged to surrender to the police without putting himself in any danger.
Give him a hot shot.
Of course! This is what they do! This is the same excuse Michael King gave for kidnapping, raping and murdering an innocent 21 year old mother in Florida in 2008. He's enjoying the rest of his miserable life on Florida's Death Row! This idiot will be joining him soon.
Sounds like premeditated murder to me. Good luck blaming it on mental illness. I'm mentally ill and I didn't kill my mother.