Lake County neighbors dead after floodlight dispute leads to murder-suicide, deputies say
After a months-long dispute over a security light came to a head, two neighbors in a Lake County community have died in a murder-suicide, deputies say.
The men, Eric Hilderbrandt, 61, and Timothy Patch, 59, lived next door to one another on Fishermans Road in Paisley, about three miles northeast of Umatilla.
The men had been arguing since October over a floodlight Patch installed. Hilderbrandt complained that it was too bright and was shining into his bedroom at night, according to Lt. Fred Jones with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called to the area about 12:30 p.m. Monday after a confrontation between the two neighbors ended in gunfire. Investigators say Hilderbrandt shot and killed Patch in his driveway then went home and shot himself.
Hilderbrandt “was found sitting in a chair deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Jones said.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline takes calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1-800-273-8255 if you need help.
