Netflix's latest true crime documentary delves into the case of Anthony Templet, a teenager who fatally shot his father before confessing during a 911 call.
Anthony was just 17 years old when in June 2019 he shot his father, Burt Templet, in the head three times.
Burt died from his injuries three days later.
The teenager admitted to the harrowing killing as he told an emergency services operator: “I just killed my dad. I shot him three times.”
Despite the confession, the case wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.
Now, Netflix's I Just Killed My Dad, a three-part docuseries from the makers of Girl In The Picture, explores who Anthony's father was and attempts to explain the series of events that led to Anthony killing him.
Here's everything you need to know about why Anthony Templet shot his father and what happened to the teen killer.
Why did Anthony Templet kill his father?
Anthony and his family claim that the he killed his father in self defence.
During the documentary, Anthony explains that he endured years of abuse and manipulation at the hands of his father.
He said that he was "punched, thrown and kicked" by Burt and that he was also subjected to years of mental abuse.
In the docu-series, Anthony says that his dad "always wanted to know everything".
He explained: "I was always being tracked by something, whether it be a camera or mobile app.
“He wanted to be in control of everything, of me and the rest of the family in that house. I knew he was trying to control me.”
On the day of the shooting, Anthony and his father got into a fight that ended with Anthony running to his father's room, getting his gun, and shooting him in the head.
In a 911 call after shooting his father, Anthony said: "He tried to attack me. Then, we got into a fist fight. Then, I ran in his room, closed the door and got a gun.
"As I unlocked the door, he tried to {inaudible} and then I shot him."
His family back up his claims of self-defence and revealed to press that Anthony was abducted by his father.
The family allege that Anthony was taken from his home in Texas when he was five years old and that his sister and mother weren't even sure if he was still alive.
In 2019, Anthony's sister Natasha told WAFB: "After 11 years of waiting to hear if my brother was still alive, he is found.
"He has been secluded and abused all these years by his own father. My brave brother had to defend himself for the last time against that evil man.
"He snatched him from our home. Burt and my mom were together for about ten years and it was extremely violent."
In the Netflix documentary we learn that "Anthony doesn't know his birth date, he doesn't know his address" and that "he was legitimately a missing child".
Speaking about his father, Anthony also says: "He never put me in public school and I never understood why."
However, the documentary also shares another side to the story.
A police officer says he didn’t see any “bruising or injuries to Anthony” after the fight with his father and a psychologist said: “The scariest thing about Anthony is that he’s kind of like a blank slate. I don’t know if he has empathy.”
What happened to Anthony Templet?
When Burt Templet died from his injuries, Anthony was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder after confessing during the 911 call.
However, Anthony's charge was later reduced to manslaughter after his family said that he acted in self defence following regular abuse by his father for years.
In March 2021, Anthony was found guilty of negligent homicide, but despite his conviction he was able to avoid a prison sentence.
Instead, Anthony was handed a five-year supervised probation with credit for the time he had already served in prison.
The judge also added a special condition requiring Anthony to obtain a high school diploma during his supervised probation.
Prosecutor Dana Cummings said: "What would time in jail do for this young man who has never actually had a chance to learn or to have friends or to be in the world?"
Anthony has recently spoken about his father's death as he features first-hand in Netflix's I Just Killed My Dad.
He continues to insist that he was right to kill his father, as he says: "I shouldn't be charged with anything, because I didn't do anything wrong."
*I Just Killed My Dad is streaming on Netflix now
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