A 43-year-old Kentucky man is facing murder charges after allegedly planting a bomb under his father’s car and fatally shooting him.
Brandon Thomas McQuillen has been charged in connection with the death of his father, 65-year-old John Thomas McQuillen, a former reserve deputy for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Louisville, according to jail records.
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) reported that officers in Middletown responded to the 1200 block of Winter Springs around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered a man with gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported the victim to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. While investigating the scene, officers also found a “suspicious package.”
The LMPD bomb squad was called in and safely detonated the device. Police later located an old ambulance, which they believe Brandon McQuillen used during the crime.
A criminal complaint obtained by WDRB revealed that officers found the bomb underneath the elder McQuillen’s car. They also recovered an AR-15 rifle and materials linked to the manufacture of explosives from Brandon McQuillen’s vehicle and home. Handwritten notes discovered at the scene reportedly indicated his intent to kill his father.
Witnesses to the suspect’s arrest described the dramatic sequence of events. Two workers installing fences spotted police apprehending Brandon McQuillen in the ambulance less than two miles from the crime scene. One of the workers, Greg Whitaker, recalled the unsettling encounter: “The part that stands out the most is that he was parked in here, and if anybody is in that state of mind, what could he do to a stranger?”
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Neighbor Wendy Wilburn recounted to WDRB how authorities detained the suspect: “They broke a window on the back of the vehicle and shot smoke bombs inside. A few minutes later, a fella [came] out of the window through the smoke.”
Court records indicate a history of conflict between the father and son, with both filing emergency protection orders against each other in recent years.
Brandon McQuillen has a criminal record that includes a conviction for kidnapping. In that case, he chained an ex-girlfriend to the ceiling of a home for 12 hours, using a Taser on her multiple times and beating her with a pool cue. He was sentenced to three years in prison for the incident.
In addition to the murder charge, McQuillen is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and violating an emergency protection order. He is being held at the Jefferson County Jail on a $1 million bond.
