Idaho – In a horrifying case of calculated family violence in Idaho, a 51-year-old man, identified as Delbert C., has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault after killing his 18-year-old daughter, identified as Hope C., and attempting to harm his son in what he later admitted was a long-planned murder-suicide. The motive, according to police, was rooted in the father’s perception of humiliation and bullying directed at his children and himself.
Delbert is currently being held without bond at the county jail following the shocking incident. The violence unfolded early Monday morning inside the home where his children lived with his brother. According to court documents, Delbert admitted to police that he had been planning to kill all three of his children and then himself for nearly a year—ever since purchasing a handgun in the fall of 2024. On Monday morning, after consuming alcohol, he entered the bedroom of his teenage daughter, Hope, and shot her in the side of the head. He then kissed her on the cheek.
Hope’s cat was also killed—shot, Delbert told police, because “no one would take care of it after they were all dead.” Investigators would later find her lifeless body inside the room, pale and unmoving, with a large hatchet embedded in the bedroom door. The father stayed in the house for hours. Then, sometime after 4 p.m., his teenage son arrived home from school. Delbert reportedly greeted him calmly, asked about school, and then told him he had “killed his sister.” He attempted to get the boy to go look at her, but the teen refused.
Delbert then picked up the gun and tried to prevent his son from leaving the home, allegedly firing a round into the ground and pointing the weapon at the boy’s chest. A struggle followed. The son wrestled the weapon away, ran from the home, and called 911. Police arrived shortly after. Inside the house, they found the handgun, a magazine on the floor, and a chilling note scrawled across a wall: “My kids died by my hand. I’m tired of them being made fun of” and “I’m going! My kids are going with me.”
Police tracked Delbert’s vehicle using license plate readers. He was arrested near his ex-girlfriend’s residence without incident. During the arrest, Delbert admitted to the killing, telling an officer, “I’m not gonna lie, I did it dude.” He broke into tears when he learned police had found his daughter’s body. In a later interview, Delbert described himself as an alcoholic suffering from depression. He expressed deep resentment toward his brother, who he claimed bullied both him and his children. He told detectives that he believed his children, especially Hope, would be better off dead than left behind in a world where no one would care for them.
Delbert had originally intended to kill all three of his children, including his oldest son, who is currently incarcerated. That part of the plan, he said, had been “thwarted.” He also expressed remorse, telling police he didn’t harm his youngest son because he loved him and couldn’t bring himself to do it. Still, he admitted that after his son fled, he picked up the gun and put it to his temple—but it wouldn’t fire.
Delbert is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 3. As the community reels from this devastating act, the chief of police called it a “horrific act of family violence,” and thanked outside agencies for their help in capturing Delbert without further bloodshed. The case now moves into the court system—but the emotional damage, especially to the surviving son, will likely linger far longer than any legal resolution.
