Polk County Sheriff's Office
"He's a nasty, nasty, evil person," said Sheriff Grady Judd, who claimed suspect Stephen Lee Rodda had a history of meth use and "psychotic episodes."
A 16-year-old boy is dead and his own father has been arrested for murder, after the teen was killed with a "pretty heavy duty saw" on Labor Day in Florida.
During a press conference on Monday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd revealed 37-year-old Stephen Thomas Rodda was arrested for the slaying of his teen son Stephen Rodda. According to Judd, the boy was staying with his grandfather to "help him out" while his grandmother was in rehab; his father, the suspect, had "no place else to go" and showed up "about a month ago."
On Monday, the grandfather went to visit his wife and returned home to find his son in front of his Lake Wales mobile home. Rodda allegedly told his father, "I wouldn't go in there if I was you. I killed someone. You may need to call the police."
Here are photos of 16 year old Stephen Lee Rodda, provided to PCSO from the family. Stephen is standing in the middle of his brothers and sister. His brothers’ names are Matthew and Logan, and his sister’s name is Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/4kam6olIYv
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) September 4, 2023 @PolkCoSheriff
While the grandfather told police "it was not uncommon for his son to talk bizarre" considering his alleged history of methamphetamine use and psychotic episodes, he went inside the home and found his grandson dead in the dining room. Police believe an angle grinder, or "pretty heavy duty saw," was used to kill the teen.
Though Rodda "fled the scene" after talking to his father, said Judd, he was apprehended about a mile away. "When we took him into custody, he told our deputy, 'You probably want to read me my rights,'" said Judd, "and that's exactly what we did."
"It breaks our heart. There aren't adequate words to explain how horrific this event is," said Judd. "To have this worthless individual murder his son is inexplicable."
"We don't know yet why Stephen Thomas Rodda attacked and murdered his son," Judd continued, saying that while Rodda's family said he had a history of substance use, they don't know whether he was on drugs when he allegedly killed his son. "The world lost a great young man today and we've got an evil, evil man in custody and we're gonna do our best to see he spends the rest of his life in prison," he continued.
Authorities also said Rodda recently spent time in South Carolina, Washington DC, Ohio and Texas -- and even had an outstanding warrant for his arrest in South Carolina. Judd said he had a criminal history all over the United States, saying, "This guy has been nothing but a problem to society for a very long time."
"We don't know why he did what he did today, other than he's a nasty, nasty, evil person," he continued.
Speaking about the victim, Judd said the teenager was studying to be an electrician and was set to start work at Burger King next week to earn money to buy a car. He was in the 11th grade and remembered by his family as a "great kid."
"He was just a standup, stellar young man," he said, adding that his family is just "devastated," "heartbroken" and "don't understand" why he was murdered. "The family is just in absolute total shock," he concluded.
