An Indiana man accused of killing his mother last week told investigators he was "possessed by demons and Hitler" and needed to be "put down," court records show.
Jason Alan Steiss, 34, of Fort Wayne, was arrested early Wednesday on a charge of aggravated battery. His mother, Joy Steiss, 64, died several hours later at a hospital, at which time her son’s criminal charge was upgraded to murder.
WANE reported that officers who responded to a 911 call were met at the pair's door by Jason Steiss, who was covered with blood. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the news station, Jason Steiss told the officers he'd "murdered (his) mother."
"I am a bad person. Kill me," Jason Steiss said, according to the document. "I need to be put down so I don't hurt anyone else."
He also told the officers he was possessed, WANE reported.
In a subsequent police interview, Jason Steiss admitted that he bit, hit, punched and choked his mother. Just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, he called his father, David Steiss, and told him, "I hurt my mom, hurt her real bad. Blood all over. Please help," the affidavit said.
According to the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, David Steiss used his wife's phone to call 911 so he could stay on the phone with his son until police and paramedics arrived.
Jason Steiss repeatedly told investigators that he needed to go to jail for what he did to his mother. When asked if he felt bad about his actions, he said, “Sort of. Kind of.”
A friend of Jason Steiss' told WANE that he has struggled with mental illness for years. The friend, whose name was withheld, said Jason Steiss has bipolar disorder and has complained of voices in his head.
A neighbor told the Journal Gazette that she often saw Joy Steiss coming and going, sometimes with children in tow. Her obituary said she loved knitting and spending time with her grandchildren, "who she loved dearly."
"She was a sweet old lady," the neighbor told the newspaper. "I don't know what she could have ever did to make that man do that."
Jason Steiss is being held at the Allen County Jail.
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