Man accused of beheading father in Jeffersonville held without bond after initial hearing

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- A man accused of beheading his 73-year-old father inside his Jeffersonville home last week made his first court appearance Tuesday.

Bryce Winnecke was arrested Aug. 15 after a four-hour standoff outside a home in the 3000 block of Callaway Drive, which is off Charlestown Pike. He was originally scheduled in court Aug. 18, but that appearance was rescheduled due to a medical issue.

He's charged with one count of murder and two counts of abusing a corpse.

Prior to Tuesday's court appearance, Winnecke's attorney, Larry Wilder, filed a motion asking for a mental evaluation. He also indicated Winnecke's intent to plead insanity as a defense. Wilder requested Winnecke be evaluated by two psychiatrists and a psychologist, and prosecutors had no objection to that request, which was granted by the judge.

According to court documents, Winnecke told his mother, Ann Winnecke, in a phone conversation he cut his dad's head off because he was the "evilest person that ever lived."

Ann Winnecke called police when she hadn't heard from Erich Winnecke, her ex-husband, and said she suspected her son might have hurt him. She said she remained friendly with her ex-husband and spoke to him regularly, and it was unusual to not hear from him for several days.

Police eventually found Erich Winnecke's headless body in the main bedroom of his father's home on Summerlin Drive, police said, along with a knife that was 12-14 inches long. According to the probable cause affidavit, Erich Winnecke had stab wounds to his abdomen and chest, and all four walls and the ceiling had "mass evidence" of blood splatter.

"The victim's head and brain was not located within the confines of the residence or property," police said in the documents.

Police said Erich Winnecke's head was found in a plastic trash bag in Bryce Winnecke's bedroom on Callaway Drive.

"The head was compared to a known government issued ID of Erich V. Winnecke and identified as being the head removed from the body of the victim ...," police said.

During Tuesday's court appearance, Clark County prosecutor Jeremy Mull said he's seeking a sentence of life without parole if Winnecke is convicted. Judge Nicholas Karaffa entered not guilty pleas on Winnecke's behalf and ordered him to remain jailed without bond.

He is due back in court on Sept. 23, and a jury trial is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026.

Jeffersonville man charged with killing father said he 'cut his head off,' police say