Newly released Ring doorbell camera footage from a home in Kendall, Florida, appears to show a father confessing to killing his son. David De Jesus Contreras, 52, reportedly shot his son Eric Contreras, 22, multiple times at their home after an argument on November 3, 2023. The elder Contreras appears distraught in the footage as he tells his wife their son is dead.
Friends told WTVJ that Eric Contreras was a fun-loving college student who often argued with his parents. Their final confrontation apparently occurred after a Disney vacation, when Contreras was driving back to Kendall with his son and the argument got out of control, leading to the Eric Contreras’ death.
A tearful father spoke to his wife through their doorbell camera.
Contreras tells his wife in video footage obtained by WTVJ that while he and his son were driving home, the fighting was “unbearable.” His father said Eric Contreras allegedly badgered him in the car to the point he could no longer take it.
“I’m sorry,” his wife says, and Contreras assures her it is not her fault before dropping to his knees in tears.
Police arrested the distraught father a few hours later.
In addition to doorbell cam footage, WTVJ obtained police bodycam footage of the arrest. In that video, Contreras falls to the ground in tears and tells police there is no one else in the house.
In the footage, an officer asks why he called the police, and Contreras tells him he shot his son, and his body is right inside the door of their home. Per police and the arrest report, he shot his son for “unknown reasons.”
The father and son reportedly had a contentious relationship.
Contreras had threatened to shoot his son in the past more than once, according to Per WTVJ. In May, he allegedly shot at the ceiling, and in October, he reportedly threatened to shoot his son just days before the young man’s death. Eric Contreras would have turned 23 on November 6, 2023.
“This is just a very tragic situation. He is distraught,” defense attorney Frank Quintero Jr. told WTVJ. “The victim is the son of the defendant, and the victim has suffered from some severe emotional and mental conditions, and we’re still trying to determine what happened, why it happened.”
Eric Contreras was a college student loved by his peers.
He was reportedly a student at Florida International University and a fraternity member. His fraternity brothers paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing:
“The brothers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Florida Nu Chapter at Florida International University are heartbroken to have learned this morning of the loss of one our own, Eric Contreras. Eric was a committed SigEp who will always be remembered for being a caring man and for lighting up any room he was in. He truly embodied our cardinal principles of Virtue, Diligence and Brotherly Love. All brothers are being offered free counseling services by FIU. Anyone who feels they need to speak with a professional is being encouraged to contact the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services at 305-348-2277. The chapter asks for its brothers’ privacy to be respected during this very difficult time.”
The father pleaded not guilty.
After his November arrest, Contreras was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was held without bond, per WPLG. He was charged with second-degree murder and entered a not-guilty plea. He was scheduled to appear in court again on March 11.