Son beat dad to death because dad told him he didn’t deserve dinner, Florida cops say

A 19-year-old is accused of fatally punching his dad during an argument about a plate of food in Florida.

Julien Welch-Beddoe was arrested Feb. 5 on a manslaughter charge in Brevard County, records show. McClatchy News reached out to his public defender for comment but did not immediately receive a response Feb. 10.

His arrest stems from the fatal fight on Jan. 19. That evening, Welch-Beddoe told officers he was getting himself dinner when his father, Francis Welch, got up from the couch and said he “didn’t deserve to have it because he wasn’t working,” the Melbourne Police Department wrote in an arrest affidavit.

They got into a physical altercation and ended up on the floor, then Welch-Beddoe said he put his dad in a headlock and punched him multiple times in the ribs, according to police.

His dad’s fiancée broke up the fight, and they went into separate rooms, according to police. The son then heard the fiancée yell a few minutes later, and he went into the living room to see his dad on the couch, unresponsive, police said.

He was breathing but wouldn’t answer them, so they called for help, according to investigators.

Francis Welch was rushed to a hospital with three broken ribs and a lacerated spleen that caused internal bleeding, and he died of his blunt force injuries early the next morning, according to police and a medical examiner.

Lab results found the father was under the influence of alcohol during the argument, possibly impeding his ability to defend himself.

Melbourne is about a 70-mile drive southeast from Orlando.

This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Son beat dad to death because dad told him he didn’t deserve dinner, Florida cops say."