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Trial opens in slaying of father

By ASHLEE CLARK
Published June 28, 2006

LARGO - A fall at a relative's house in Milwaukee kindled a grown son's resentment toward his father, prosecutors said Monday.

That anger erupted Nov. 28, 2003, when Kurt Walczak took his 10mm Glock handgun and fatally shot his father, Gerard Walczak, 76, at their home on Magnolia Drive, just south of Clearwater High School.

Assistant State Attorney David Tobiassen outlined the state's case Monday afternoon during the opening statements of Kurt Walczak's trial.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Walczak, 43, could get life in prison without possibility of parole.

Defense attorney William Bennett waived his opening statement but said before jury selection that he intended to use an insanity defense.

He also said self-defense would be an issue in the trial.

In his opening statement, Tobiassen said Walczak's mother, Rita Walczak, characterized the relationship between father and son as regular.

But Rita Walczak said her son became angry toward his father after Kurt Walczak fell in the shower at his aunt's house in Milwaukee, causing knee and back problems, Tobiassen told jurors.

Kurt Walczak said the fall was his father's fault because he was "too cheap to get a hotel room, forcing him to stay at his aunt's house," Tobiassen said.

"That resentment grew and grew," Tobiassen said.

Kurt Walczak also told Clearwater police that his father had criticized him about his weight, about 400 pounds at the time of the shooting, and had called him a hypochondriac.

Tobiassen also said Walczak openly discussed the shooting with police immediately after the incident, even pointing to detectives' heads to indicate where he shot his father.

Testimony in the case will resume today. Attorneys said they expected to complete the trial by the end of the week.

Ashlee Clark can be reached at aclark@sptimes.com or 727 445-4158.

[Last modified June 28, 2006, 06:09:39]