Police say Shehada Issa, 69, told them he shot his son Amir in self-defense after he discovered his wife's body in their house.
A California man was arrested Tuesday after police say he murdered his adult son for being gay.
Authorities in Los Angeles say the body of 29-year-old Amir Issa was found March 29 shot outside the North Hills home he shared with his parents.
Inside the home, Issa's mother was discovered stabbed to death.
Issa's father, Shehada Issa, 69, was arrested and charged with his son's slaying. Issa claimed that his son was threatening him with a knife, but police say they found no such weapon with Amir Issa's body.
Read: Hotel Worker Found Dead Inside Walk-In Freezer After 13 Hours
Shehada Issa had allegedly threatened to kill his son on prior occasions because he was gay, prosecutors say. He was allegedly armed with a shotgun.
The Los Angeles County Prosecutor's office said in a news release Friday that the "murder was committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation and because of the defendant's perception of that status and the victims' association with a person and a group of that status."
Detectives said Issa told officers he found his wife's body in a bathroom. Mr. Issa is not being charged with her death at this time.
Issa is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on one count of willful, deliberate and premeditated murder on April 11.
Read: Desperate Search Continues for Missing Mom of 5: We're Not Gonna Give Up
If convicted, Shehada Issa faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Meanwhile, the death of the mother remains under investigation.
In a March 19 post on a Facebook account associated with Amir Issa's name that's been widely shared by media, he describes a deep divide between himself and his family.
"Every day I wake up feeling like my sister or brother or mother or father is literally controlling me in my sleep," the post begins before delving into issues of religion, then: "I want to open my eyes lord. I want to see Jesus. Please help rid this world of the demons that attack me."
Watch: Mom Missing For 3 Days Is Found Dead In Car With Her 3 Living Children
