Dad Faces New Charge After Allegedly Shooting Son, 11, Who Died On The Phone With His Mom

A man facing double murder accusations over the death of his 11-year-old son and girlfriend has been hit with an additional charge.

David Huff, 43, has now been accused of attempting to murder his stepfather on March 17, the same day he allegedly killed his son Jeremiah Huff and partner Yeraldith Tschudy, 32.

Huff, currently in custody, was indicted on a new attempted murder charge this week, relating to his stepfather, Charles O’Donnell.

He allegedly pointed a gun at O’Donnell and pulled the trigger, but the gun malfunctioned and never went off, according to a grand jury indictment obtained by People.

Huff, who was arraigned on Tuesday, has not entered any pleas.

He allegedly used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot his son multiple times, including in the head at close range, at a house in Syracuse.

Jeremiah managed to phone his mother amid the attack, but he tragically passed away while on the phone with her.

She contacted 911 and a manhunt was launched to trace Huff, who was found and arrested by New York State Police the following day.

“It’s so poignant to think about in the context of how it happened and that he’s still in this house with this man, his father, with a loaded gun, and he’s reaching out to the one person that is now the only person he can depend on,” Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile said during an earlier press conference.

“It’s just so tragic to think of that happening in that house,” he added.

Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick told reporters after the murders that Jeremiah’s mother had to listen to her son’s death, People reported.

“She had the unbearable tragedy of listening to her son be murdered,” Fitzpatrick said.

“To be on the phone listening to your son’s murder, she’ll never get over that. Ever,” he later added.

Tschudy, a mother of two, had reportedly been dating Huff for about six months at the time of her death.

She was an immigrant to the U.S. after moving from Columbia as a child, and worked for a charity that supported people suffering from mental health issues and addiction.

Huff fled the scene after the murders, sparking a huge manhunt.

Syracuse Police Department had appealed for help in tracing him after investigating the home and finding Jeremiah and Tschudy with gunshot wounds.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Huff had reportedly fled to a nearby hospital and was found by a staff member as he lay down in an examination room.

The employee told him to leave and reported him to the authorities due to his suspicious behavior.

Huff was then tracked by a camera and followed before being arrested by troopers.

His defense team is expected to have him speak with a mental health professional, and his trial is due to begin in May 2026.