Son charged after father’s body found behind Hall County home

Steve Joe Andrade, 26, was charged with murder in the death of his 52-year-old father, Esteban Andrade, whose body was found Tuesday behind a Hall County home.

Credit: Hall County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Hall County Sheriff's Office

Steve Joe Andrade, 26, was charged with murder in the death of his 52-year-old father, Esteban Andrade, whose body was found Tuesday behind a Hall County home.

A man was arrested Tuesday after his father’s body was found behind a Hall County home, authorities said.

Steve Joe Andrade, 26, of Gainesville, was apprehended just hours after the grisly discovery when officers pulled him over on White Sulphur Road, about four miles from the home where 52-year-old Esteban Andrade was found dead, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.

Around 6:30 a.m., deputies responded to the 3800 block of Old Cornelia Highway after getting a call about an unknown problem at the residence. Inside a building behind the home, authorities found the body of the elder Andrade.

He showed signs of blunt force trauma on parts of his body, officials said. His son was arrested on charges of malice and felony murder.

Steve Joe Andrade is also charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping in an incident involving his 52-year-old mother, Nora Andrade, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities did not say if the two incidents happened on the same day.

He is being held without bond in the Hall County Jail.

At an Oconee County home 50 miles away, another domestic shooting ended in death early Tuesday. Peyton Moyer, 20, is accused of killing his mother, 41-year-old Ashley Schultz, and stepfather, 54-year-old Benjamin Smith. He was arrested hours after the discovery, Sheriff James Hale said.

Moyer’s 16-year-old and 4-year-old sisters were found at the home unharmed, Hale said. Moyer was charged with two counts of murder and one count of cruelty to children.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive in either shooting.

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