Son charged with killing family

CINCINNATI, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Police allege a Cincinnati, Ohio, man with a history of mental illness killed his father and two other family members before setting their house on fire.

Timothy Sturgel, 26, was arrested Saturday and charged with three counts of murder after surrendering to police in the front yard of the burning house in Colerain Township, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Sunday.

Inside the house, police found Sturgel's father, Jerry, 51; his stepmother, Mary Sturgel, 40; and her daughter, Emily Hurst, 13. All three had been shot.

In a 911 call Saturday, Emily Hurst allegedly told a dispatcher her stepbrother shot her stepfather. She then screamed "He's coming. My mom," and the telephone line went dead, the Enquirer reported.

Timothy Sturgel had been ordered by a court to undergo psychiatric care at least four times since he was 20 to treat bipolar disorder, said Hamilton County court documents.

Sturgel, who was adopted, allegedly heard voices that sometimes told him to do bad things, said Cindy Smith, his father's cousin.