Spokane man suspected of beating that killed father held on $1M bond

Police have jailed a Spokane man suspected of beating his father, who died Monday from injuries suffered last weekend.

Michael B. Hermann, 27, called his sister crying and screaming Saturday night to report that he had hit his father, Michael W. Hermann, 60, and knocked him out, according to court documents. She told dispatchers her brother said he would kill himself if she called the police and he’d go to prison if officers arrived.

The sister reported her brother had been mentally unstable and moved in with his father in the last six months since his divorce, court documents say. She also said he was a recovering drug addict.

When officers responded to the home where the father and son lived together on the 1400 block of East Carlisle Avenue, the son was reluctant to come outside and said his father needed help, according to court documents. The son was reportedly “frantic and unstable” as he was handcuffed.

Police found the father lying on the living room floor just inside the front door, court documents say. They did not locate anyone else in the house.

The father had trauma to his head and was still breathing shallowly, according to court documents. His eyes were open but he was unresponsive.

Police say the father had distinct wounds on his forehead the size and shape of bottle caps and a 2-liter soda bottle was lying next to him, according to court documents. Officers also observed injuries that could have been inflicted by other households items, such as nearby dumbbells, and fists, knees, elbows and feet.

The father was transported to a hospital in critical condition and he was on life support on Sunday, court documents say. Police Sgt. Terry Preuninger said the father died Monday.

The son, who is held on a $1 million bond, has no prior felony convictions in Spokane County.