Orleans Hub: Man who killed son, then killed himself in Carlton was a veteran

CARLTON, N.Y. — The man who Orleans County deputies say killed his 14-year-old son and then killed himself was a veteran. Community news source The Orleans Hub reported that Henry Frank Spoon Jr. served in Iraq and served for the Marine Corps.

Deputies say the 39-year-old father of Lockport cut his son’s throat and shot his son in the head with a rifle in the Town of Carlton. Then, the father cut his own throat and shot himself.

The Orleans Hub reported that Spoon’s friends posted on Facebook that he suffered from PTSD and, despite his actions, he loved his son, Shawn Spoon. The District Attorney handling the case is reaching out to Veterans Affairs to see if mental health counselors can provide any insight.

Deputies found the father and his son dead in an orchard on Sunday. They responded after getting a 911 call for a suspicious car. Then, deputies found both bodies outside the car, which was parked at the orchard off Kendrick Road.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office performed autopsies on the father and son to determine that it was a murder/suicide.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office said it’s working alongside the district attorney’s office and other agencies to determine what led up to the murder/suicide.

According to The Hub, authorities have recovered cell phones that Spoon threw out of his car before reaching the orchard. They also believe he threw a party tent out of his window and the orchard’s owner didn’t know Spoon. The District Attorney told The Hub that his office is looking at a computer and tablet that Spoon owned.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to call them at (585)-589-5527 and ask for Investigator Colonna, Pahuta, or Marsceill.