A US man was arrested on Monday after he allegedly shot his 18-year-old daughter and then draped her body in a pride flag as a supposed tribute to her.
The accused, Delbert Cornish, was taken into police custody in Mountain Home and then moved to Canyon County jail on Tuesday, according to PEOPLE.
The arrest affidavit states that Cornish, 51, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. He confessed to murdering his teen daughter, Hope "Onyx" Cornish, stating, "I'm not gonna lie, I did it, dude," he reportedly said.
After killing his daughter, Cornish covered her body with a Pride flag and also killed the family cat, according to local media. He then became enraged, swinging a hatchet into Onyx's bedroom door and smashing holes in the walls throughout the house.
He later wrote down a confession admitting to the crime and prepared a note intending to take his own life.
The Law and Crime mentioned that Cornish asked the police about the fireworks and wished he had shot himself. The investigator collected gunshot residue (GSR) samples from both of Cornish's hands. GSR testing helps determine if someone has recently fired a gun.
Cornish told the authorities that he planned to kill himself and his three children last year, and also bought a gun, but delayed it because his eldest son was sent to prison after violating parole. He claimed that his desire to kill his children came after his brother reportedly called them with bullying names such as pedophile and loser.
The affidavit stated, "Cornish was tired of living and was also tired of being 'belittled' by his brother, whom he and his children live with."
During the interrogation, Cornish reportedly started crying and admitted to having alcohol issues and struggling with depression.
He revealed the killing of Onyx to his younger son and asked him to check on her, but he refused. He then went to the couch, grabbed a gun to create fear. His son reportedly told him that he wanted to leave the house, but he blocked the doorway, fired a shot into the floor and pointed the gun towards his son's chest.
The teen managed to run away and informed the police about the incident.
