Criminal complaint filed in Little Suamico double homicide

The man accused of killing his mother and stepfather outside their Little Suamico home told investigators that “voices” told him that he needed to take a life.

A criminal complaint was filed Oct. 20 in Oconto County Circuit Court charging David Steinmetz, 27, with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony, in connection with the Oct. 1 shooting deaths of Paul Brennan, 75, and his wife, Lori (Steinmetz) Brennan, 55.

During a brief initial court appearance Oct. 21, Judge Jay N. Conley set bail at $1 million cash and adjourned the hearing until Nov. 15, giving Steinmetz time to retain an attorney or public defender.

The couple’s bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds outside their home on Melissa Boulevard on the morning of Oct. 2. The investigation determined that the shootings had occurred the previous afternoon, according to the complaint.

One neighbor reported hearing several “pops” from the home and saw a man get into a car and drive away around 5:30-6 p.m. The neighbor “thought that maybe the male was shooting a paintball gun because it wasn’t very loud,” according to the complaint. Another neighbor recognized David Steinmetz, who had lived with the couple for several years, as the driver of the car.

The next morning, other neighbors saw the bodies on the ground outside the home and called police. A short time later authorities began searching for Steinmetz, locating and arresting him about an hour later in the parking lot of Thompson’s County Market. A .22 caliber rifle was in Steinmetz’s car, and he was carrying a machete under his clothing, according to the complaint.

In an interview at the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department, Steinmetz told Investigator Nick School that he had been awake for most of the previous five days, doing “hot rails” (methamphetamine) a couple of times a day. On Sept. 30, he had run out of gas south of Milwaukee, was picked up by “an old veteran guy” who bought him hot dogs and took him to a police station. The Brennans rented a car to come pick him up because their own vehicle was disabled.

When they got back to Steinmetz’s car, an argument ensued over who would drive the car home, since police had advised that he was too impaired to drive, according to the complaint. Steinmetz said he ended up driving the car anyway, with his mother riding along and Paul Brennan driving the rental vehicle.

After they got home, the argument resumed and at some point Brennan kicked him out. He slept for a while in a truck stop parking lot and met some friends the next day, which allegedly included more meth use, before going to pick up his mother at the rental company after she returned the car.

When they got to the Melissa Boulevard home, “David stated something triggered and he was not acting normal” and “started getting bad feelings and that something bad was about to happen,” according to the complaint. He drove away but came back a short time later, and he told the investigator “a voice kept telling him that he had to take a life or his life would be taken.

“David stated that he had feelings that if he didn’t take his mom’s life, someone is going to take out more of his family,” according to the complaint. “David stated it was like take out one life to save 15 other lives.”

After returning home he stayed in his car for a while, and Steinmetz told the investigator his mother came to the car several times, saying she was worried about him and trying to take the gun away from him.

Finally he got out of the car and “just opened fire on both his mom and (Brennan),” according to the complaint. An autopsy recovered seven “projectiles” from Brennan’s body and four from his wife, according to the complaint, and Steinmetz told School that several shots missed.

Steinmetz has been held at the Oconto County Jail on a probation hold since his arrest. Now that the complaint has been filed, he likely will make an initial appearance in Oconto County Circuit Court on Oct. 21.