Fifteen year-old Matthew Schmidt, a Macon County Junior High School student, and his mother Karen Schmidt are dead following a domestic dispute which led to fatal shootings Monday night, October 15 at their mobile home residence in the Hillsdale Estates south of Lafayette on Hwy. 10-south.

Sheriff Mark Gammons said that James (Ricky) Netherton, 45, Green Grove Road, Lafayette is charged with two counts of homicide and is being held without bond at the Macon County Justice Center. Netherton will face a preliminary hearing of the chargers against him in sessions court on Wednesday, November 14.

Deputies responded to a 911 call from the Schmidt residence at 339 Hillsdale Estates shortly after 8:00 p.m. Monday night. A young man identifying himself as Matthew Schmidt told the E-911 dispatcher a domestic situation was in progress and to please send help. The dispatcher is reported to have heard a disturbance in the background and then silence.

When Macon County Sheriff's Deputy Joey Wilburn arrived on the scene he entered the residence to find Ricky Netherton still in the mobile home.

Sheriff Gammons said Netherton attempted to reach for a rifle but was disarmed by Wilburn without further incident.

Detective Bill Cothron and TBI Agent Jason Locke joined Wilburn at the crime scene and took Netherton into custody. The two gunshot victims were transported to Macon County General Hospital by the county EMS where Ms. Schmidt was pronounced dead on arrival. Emergency personnel and physicians attempted to revive young Schmidt, but he is reported to have died shortly after arrival at the local hospital emergency room.

A sister to Matthew Schmidt, Melanie Schmidt, is in the army National Guard undergoing training in North or South Carolina, and news of her brother and mother's deaths was not made public until she was notified early Tuesday morning.

Apparently Netherton, a self employed man who mowed lawns locally, entered the Schmidt residence, caused a disturbance which prompted Matthew Schmidt to call E-911. Netherton then left the residence briefly but returned with a rifle with which he allegedly shot and killed both the mother and son inside the trailer.

Sheriff Mark Gammons would not state the caliber of the weapon beyond describing it as a rifle, but unofficial sources said it was a small caliber weapon. The victims were reportedly shot in the chest but the sheriff said he could not confirm this or other details as the murder case is still under investigation.

The tragic incident Monday night was the first homicide in Macon County in several years. There has not been a homicide in the city of Lafayette since 1991, and it has been ten years or more since a homicide occurred in the city of Red Boiling Springs