A New York man charged with murdering his 11-year-old son and girlfriend was caught laughing in the courtroom as the judge read out his crimes.
David Huff, 43, fatally shot his son, Jeremiah Huff, and his 32-year-old partner, Yeraldith Tschudy, in March 2025, inside his stepfather’s Syracuse home.
At a recent hearing — where he faces a sentence of 40 years to life in prison — Huff was seen smirking as Onondaga County Judge Theodore H. Limpert read his brutal case aloud.
The judge reacted: ‘You find this funny?’
Huff, who was still laughing to himself, replied: ‘No, no,’ explaining that he had a joke stuck in his head.
Then, showing zero remorse or awareness for the severity of his situation, Huff told Limpert to ‘go on.’
Later, Huff’s court proceedings were interrupted again when his older son shouted at his father from the gallery.
‘You’re f****** embarrassing yourself. Just speak!’ he yelled.
Again, Huff appeared detached and unbothered, but turned to tell his son — who was not present on the night of the murders — that he loved him.
Assistant District Attorney Rob Moran told local news outlet 13ABC that he was not concerned with Huff’s behaviour in court. Rather, he was ‘focused on the family’ and justice being served.
‘I’m focused on Jeremiah. I’m focused on Ms Tschudy. I could [not] care less what his reaction to any of this is.
‘I don’t have enough bandwidth to put any time into worrying about his reaction to these things.’
Huff was accused of using a 12-gauge shotgun to kill his victims at close range. Huff’s stepfather was also fired at, investigators said.
Jeremiah’s mother, Samantha Gallup Peltier, was the first to call emergency services after Huff phoned her just before the killings. Sadly, they did not make it in time.
Huff had fled the property before the police arrived, where he briefly hid at the Upstate Community General Hospital. State police arrested him the next day.
Peltier said of Jeremiah, who was described as an ‘adventurous young boy’ with ‘a heart full of curiosity and a spirit of determination,’ that he ‘loved to snuggle on the couch and have a cup of coffee in the morning.
‘He loved every animal, being outside and nature. And he loved his father.’
Huff’s conviction comes after his defence team prolonged his hearing, waiting for a medical expert to evaluate his mental health.
However, it was decided that Huff was fit to stand trial after his defence lawyer, Shaun Chase, revealed that any claimed mental incapacity was due to his voluntary abuse of alcohol and drugs.
Prosecutors said it is not clear which substances Huff used on the night of the murders, or his level of intoxication.
Huff pleaded guilty to two second-degree murder charges rather than first-degree murder.
But, during the hearing, he denied allegations that he had shot Jeremiah in the head.
‘Jeremiah was not shot in the head by any means.’ Despite prosecutors maintaining that he was, the judge told Huff that he had the option to take the case to trial if he disputed any information.
‘No, we’re not coming back,’ Huff said. ‘I’m guilty of all that. Whatever you guys say, I’m guilty of.’
Huff’s plea of second-degree murder means he may have a chance at parole when he’s sentenced. In the US state of New York, parole can be granted on second-degree murder convictions. Prisoners must serve a number of years before being eligible.