Ethan Graverson appears in court via video conference Nov. 24, 2025, on charges he fatally shot his father. (Image courtesy Calumet County courts/Zoom)
CHILTON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Ethan Graverson pleaded not guilty Friday to killing his father during an argument at a rural Calumet County home.
Graverson, 22, also waived his preliminary hearing on one count of first-degree intentional homicide for the Nov. 21 shooting, court records show.
No trial date was set. He returns to court April 27 for a status conference, according to court records.
If convicted, Graverson faces a mandatory life in prison term.
According to the criminal complaint, Graverson called police to the Woodville home, telling police he shot his father.
Sgt. Inv. Klug asked Ethan if he knew there was going to be a confrontation when he walked in. Ethan said, “It wasn’t the first time I’ve grabbed the gun; it was the first time I used the gun.” Sgt. Inv. Klug asked why he grabbed the gun. Ethan said he came to the realization that his dad was a “monster.” Ethan said there were a lot of memories from his childhood coming back. Sgt. Inv. Klug asked Ethan if he grabbed the gun knowing there was going to be an argument when he walked in. Ethan said, “You could say that.
Ethan cited years of mental abuse and told police his father has told him “he (Jeffrey) has thought of killing him (Ethan),” the complaint states.
Ethan said his dad started telling him that he was crazy. Ethan said he had enough of that. Sgt. Inv. Klug brought the conversation back to today’s events and asked again what escalated things. Ethan said at that point he had the gun out of his pocket and his dad told him to put the gun down and give him a hug. Ethan said he didn’t. Ethan said his dad then told him to put the gun down and fight him man to man. Ethan said he wasn’t doing that. Sgt. Inv. Klug asked Ethan if there was a specific thing that happened that made him think that he had to shoot now. Ethan said as soon as his dad said to put the gun down and fight him. Ethan said it was pretty quick, the complaint states.
According to the criminal complaint, Graverson’s mother supported her son’s claims of a difficult upbringing when interviewed by police. However, she went on to say the victim had stopped drinking in the past year.
A 9mm pistol was recovered at the scene, the complaint states.
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