Desoto teen accused of shooting parents in their sleep

A Desoto teen is accused of shooting his father and step-mother, killing her, as they slept in their home.

Upon arrival, officers found freshly-painted upside down crosses inside the home and the suspect sitting at the top of the stairs with a blank look on his face.

A panic alarm brought police officers to the home on Longmeadow Lane just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday in Desoto. According to an arrest affidavit, an officer shined his flash light through a window and "observed several dark red in color upside down crosses painted on the foyer window blinds… freshly painted (still dripping) crosses were in blood possibly."

Officers on scene radioed for backup. Moments later, they noticed Robert Dixon Jr., 19, at the top of the stairs staring at them.

“He walked down the stairs, voluntarily opened the door and put up his hands,” explained Desoto Police Sgt. Nick Bristow. “When they opened the door, they could hear a male voice inside the house yelling for help.”

An officer found Robert Dixon Sr. and his wife, Parrish, shot in their bed. She was dead, Dixon Sr. was critically injured.

The arrest affidavit states the officer "observed numerous shell casings at the door entrance."

Dixon Sr. reportedly told the officer "he and his wife were asleep when he suddenly heard the loud noise and pain in his body." He told officers his son didn’t say anything and said there was no earlier confrontation.

Details of the double shooting has neighbor Don Atchison scratching his head.

“What was going on next-door?” asked Athison. “And what's been going on next-door?”

Police say Dixon Sr. underwent surgery and is in critical but stable condition. Parrish, the suspect's step mother, was a flight attendant for American Airlines.

Detectives now don't believe that Dixon Jr. used blood to paint the crosses, but they haven't ruled it out completely. They are questioning his family in Illinois to see if they can figure out a motive.

He is charged with murder and aggravated assault. His bond has been set at $2,000,000.