CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- Those who love SirWilliam Hardy are still trying to wrap their minds around what police say took place in his Cheektowaga home late Monday night.
According to police, Hardy, 31, used a rifle to shoot and kill his father, William Hardy, who had been visiting from California. William Hardy was 54.
"We don't believe it was an accident. We're working with the district attorney's office. Our detectives have determined that this was an intentional murder and that's what he was charged with,” said Cheektowaga Assistant Police Chief James Speyer. "The defendant who was arrested is not cooperating with us and really not giving us anymore information to work with.”
Those who know SirWilliam best, like Janyca Hughes-Slaughter, say this can't be true.
"Their relationship was too strong for it to be any malicious binding," said Hughes-Slaughter, “My daughter and him, she goes to the hospital with him when he gets sick because he has had several issues. He brings fruit bouquets and he comes to any event or anything that she needs."
Hughes-Slaughter has known SirWilliam, also known as "Sir,” for more than a decade, and she adds that he's funny, giving, and kind, something she says most won't know from looking at his mugshot.
While she admits she wasn't there Monday night and may never know what really happened, she says she does know this: SirWilliam wasn't himself the last time they'd spoken.
"He was really depressed right before that. He called us, I talked to him the other day and he was talking about his obituary and his life. I feel like he could of possibly been thinking about his life being taking away by himself and and his father got in the way,” said Hughes-Slaughter.
SirWilliam Hardy is held in police custody without bail. He was scheduled to appear before a Cheektowaga judge on Thursday morning for a felony hearing, but police say he wasn't "medically cleared" to appear in court.