A man in Henderson, Nevada has murdered his 14-year-old son because he couldn’t accept the fact that his son was gay.

The murder took place last Thursday, said 53-year-old Wendell Melton shot his son, Giovanni Melton, in the apartment where the teenager lived alone.

The Henderson Police Department said in a Facebook post that Wendell Melton was arrested at the scene on felony charges of open murder, child abuse and firearms possession and “booked into the Henderson Detention Center.”

The teen’s former foster mother Sonja Jones,, stated that the boy was “abused physically and mentally and spiritually for many, many years” and said she believes he was killed because of his sexual orientation.

“He hated the fact that his son was gay,” Jones said. “I’m sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son.”

Jones added that it was her understanding that Melton had caught Giovanni “with his boyfriend before and pulled out a gun on him.” And hopes authorities “throw the book” at Wendell Melton.

“I hope he never sees the light of day,”