LARGO, FL – Authorities have charged a Florida man with the murder of his parents after police discovered their bodies during a welfare check. Nicholas Steven Kirchner, 37, faces two counts of first-degree murder following the deaths of his parents, Elizabeth Lee Kirchner, 53, and Steven Eric Kirchner, 64.
Police initiated the investigation Friday afternoon after the parents were reported missing from work. Officers subsequently conducted a welfare check at their Largo residence on Saunders Avenue. Upon entry, they discovered the couple in the living room, both having succumbed to gunshot wounds.
Just three hours later, a startling development unfolded nearly 460 miles away in Taliaferro County, Georgia. Local deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a suspicious individual on the highway shoulder.
The man, dressed in white and wearing a red baseball cap, identified himself to deputies as Nicholas Kirchner and claimed to be armed.
Authorities quickly connected Kirchner to the murder investigation in Florida and further learned of another incident earlier that Friday in Sumter, South Carolina. During that event, Kirchner allegedly brandished a firearm and threatened a person by declaring, “I’ve already killed two people — I’ll kill some more.”
Reports also suggest he intimidated several individuals at gunpoint in South Carolina, demanding one person enter a home to retrieve an unspecified item. The suspect allegedly threatened to shoot if his demands were ignored.
After being apprehended in Georgia, Kirchner reportedly confessed to law enforcement about murdering his parents, describing the act as a “righteous kill.” He also admitted to abandoning a stolen Nissan Pathfinder near his arrest location.
Currently, Kirchner is held at the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office jail, pending extradition to Florida. The authorities have yet to release a probable cause affidavit, which might detail the motive and timing of the alleged murders.