Dad bludgeons elderly sex offender to death with moose antlers because he thought he was stalking his daughter

A Minnesota father has confessed to bludgeoning an elderly sex offender with moose antlers because he believed he was stalking his infant daughter.

Levi Axtell, 27, reportedly hit Lawrence Scully, 77, more than a dozen times with a shovel — before “finishing” him with the big antlers — at the older man’s home in Grand Marias.

Just minutes after the brutal crime, Mr. Axtell turned himself in to authorities, walked into the Cook County Sheriff’s Office covered in the victim’s blood, and confessed to killing him.

He was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Scully was found dead at his home in Grand Marias on Wednesday.

A witness told investigators they saw a person in a white Dodge Caravan pull into the driveway of the victim’s home around 5 p.m., according to the indictment.

The driver reportedly got out and wrecked a vehicle in the driveway before running into the house.

The witness said they then heard screams from inside the premises before the driver reappeared and fled.

The driver – later identified as Mr Axtell – drove straight to the police station where he fell to the ground with his hands on his head and urged officers to handcuff him before he hurt anyone else, the indictment said.

Officers came to Scully’s house and found his body next to a bloodied shovel.

A preliminary autopsy revealed that he died of blunt force head injuries and that he had defensive wounds on his arms.

Mr Axtell told investigators he found a shovel on the deck of the elderly man’s house and hit his head about 20 times with it, according to the indictment.

He then “finished him off” by beating him a few more times with the antlers.

Mr Axtell told investigators he “thought he had sexually offended children in the past”.

Scully, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2014, was convicted in 1979 of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.

He and Mr Axtell had a long history of conflict, culminating in the 27-year-old issuing a protection order against the 77-year-old a few years ago.

In 2018, Mr. Axtell had accused Scully of “stalking” and “attempting to groom” his 22-month-old daughter.

Mr Axtell has applied for a protective order against Scully on behalf of his daughter.

The order was initially granted, but rejected weeks later.

Mr. Axtell is now being held behind bars in the Cook County Jail on $1 million bail.

He is scheduled to appear in court on April 10 on murder charges.