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Distraught dad snapped, family says about accused shooter

Jeff Bedinger is scheduled to appear in court on charges of murder, kidnapping and abduction

Contributed photo Jeff Bedinger.

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By Lucas Sullivan, Staff Writer Updated 1:49 AM Tuesday, July 13, 2010

TROY — The parents of Jeff Bedinger, subject of a nationwide manhunt after a fatal shooting and child abduction last week, visited him in the Miami County Jail Sunday morning, July 11, and feel his marital and financial issues caused him to snap, a family member said.

Sharon and David Bedinger made the two-hour drive from Carmel, Ind., to speak with their 50-year-old son, four days after he was accused of fatally shooting his stepson, Brandon Haskins, 22, at a Troy apartment, Bedinger’s stepsister Paige Miller said.

Police said the shooting happened after Jeff and his wife attended a marriage counseling session and began to argue. Miller said her stepbrother has been unemployed for more than a year, was losing everything and snapped.

Bedinger, distraught over a pending divorce and bankruptcy filing, allegedly shot Haskins multiple times in the chest late Thursday and then told his wife Kimberly Bedinger, who was Haskins’ mother, to write out a will, according to police documents.

He then shot Haskins again multiple times.

Bedinger took off with their 7-year-old son, Zane, and the family’s Italian mastiff, Rocco, sparking an Amber Alert and a nationwide manhunt. Zane was dropped off at a friend’s home near Carmel, Ind., early Friday and the dog at a friend’s house in Washington Twp. that afternoon, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies found Bedinger shortly after he dropped the dog off. Bedinger was arrested after a brief high-speed chase in the 6400 block of Wilmington Pike.

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