An Iowa father killed his 5-year-old son by strangling him after thinking about doing it for about a week, according to the police, per Law & Crime. Matthew Gerald Schleier, 45, is facing a charge of first-degree murder. The boy’s mother reportedly told emergency responders,

“His dad strangled him.”

Schleier also allegedly confessed to the police officer who asked him if what his wife said was true.

Police responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive child at a home on Willowbrook Drive in Marion around 6 a.m., according to a criminal complaint from Cedar Rapids-based ABC affiliate KCRG. The caller said the boy

“wasn’t breathing and was warm to the touch,”

according to the complaint. Firefighters tried to save 5-year-old Jack Schleier, but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. 

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. The father, Matthew Schleier, reportedly told investigators that he had thought about using knives to kill his child. When police searched the home, they found several knives that could have been used as murder weapons, confirming his “premeditated” desire to kill his boy, according to a complaint obtained by local newspaper The Gazette. At the time of the incident, there were two other adults and another child in the house, but they were unharmed.

On Wednesday, the father appeared in Linn County District Court on a video. The father is currently in the Linn County Jail with a bond set at $1 million, which must be paid in cash.

Details about what happened leading up to the child’s death are unclear. Besides the father’s reported thoughts of wanting to harm his son, police have not shared any motive behind the murder.

#Clique, what are your thoughts?