Dad kills son, 13, with an ax because he believed he was a demon and was going to eat him

• Gary Sherrill, 51, admitted to cops he killed his 13-year-old son
• Police had been to his home multiple times in the last week alone
• His behavior had alarmed neighbors - one of whom he jumped out at from behind a bush
• He shouted about war as he was led away in handcuffs

By Ryan Gorman

PUBLISHED: 22:10 EST, 1 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:11 EST, 1 January 2014

The face of evil: Gary Sherrill killed his son with an axe and then claimed he did because he thought the boy was a demon trying to eat him

A Phoenix man did the unthinkable – he hacked his 13-year-old son to death with an axe.

Gary Sherrill, 51, told police he killed his son Tuesday because he ‘believed his son was a demon and was going to eat him,’ police said.

The deranged man was arrested and charged with first degree murder for a killing that has shocked even veteran police.

The horrific crime was discovered after the boy’s mother called police to check on the young boy after Mr Sherrill (her ex-husband) was late bringing him back from a visit and she was unable to reach them by phone.

Phoenix police arrived at the unemployed man’s gritty apartment on the city’s north side and initially met resistance, a neighbor told  ABC 15.

The killer told officers the boy was not home, that he was a good guy, said Divina West, adding that he said he was a boy scout leader and that he wouldn’t hurt children.

‘But obviously he did,’ she lamented.

Officers pushed their way into the home to make the horrifying discovery. The boy had been killed with an axe.

The father immediately went on the offensive. He admitted to killing the boy, but claimed he was afraid of him because he was a ‘demon possessed’ who tried to eat him, according to an arrest report cited by multiple media outlets.

House of horrors: Mr Sherrill lived in this seedy apartment on the northern fringe of Phoenix - he's now residing in a jail cell

The bloodbath shook officers to the core.

‘It is difficult, we find it hard to believe that there are people still out in this world who would do this kind of harm to another person, even more so, to their own child,’ Phoenix Police Department Sgt Steve Martos told AZ Central before pausing to compose himself.

A depiction of praying hands and a prayer candle could be seen in the disturbed man’s mostly blocked out windows.

Ms West told Fox 10 of the moment the boy’s mother was told what had happened. She let out a series of horrified screams, she was shattered knowing she’d never see her son again.

‘The mother of the child was down here and crying and screaming and inconsolable obviously,’ said Ms West.

Religious man: Hands clasped in prayer and a prayer candle are displayed in Mr Sherrill's window

A neighbor who spoke to multiple television stations but did not want to be identified painted a picture of a strange man living a bizarre life.

‘I know that all the windows were blacked out with tin foil.  I never saw the child playing whenever he was let out of the house, he had a tight hold on him’ the woman said.

‘In the beginning, I kind of thought he might be kidnapped,’ she added, saying that she called Child Protective Services out of concern but was told nothing could be done unless she actually witnessed the boy being abused.

No abuse was ever seen, she said.

It is not known how long the boy’s mother and Mr Sherrill were divorced, and if he had any history of mental illness, but divorce papers obtained by Fox 10 hinted at problems.

Blocked out windows: Mr Sherrill blacked out his windows with cardboard and tin foil, neighbors said

‘The father is unemployed and that has likely impacted his mental state,’ said the papers.

Multiple neighbors told AZ Central the man had been acting strangely in recent days, and that police had been to the apartment multiple times.

He even jumped out of the bushes at one woman and tried to talk to her, but she had no idea what he was saying and stuck around only to make sure he did not follow her home.

Neighbors were quick to point out the neighborhood was usually quiet, but that Mr Sherrill and his blacked out, boarded up windows and strange behavior stood out.

Joe Harris told AZ Family he’s having a hard time coming to grips with the boy’s violent death.

‘It puts a pit in my stomach,’ he said. ‘It doesn't make me feel good. You don't want to live down the street from where a little kid was killed.’

Mr Sherrill screamed about war and tried to wriggle free from police as he was led away, neighbors told Fox 10.

He rang in the new year sitting in a jail cell while the boy’s mother shed tears over the loss of her son.

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