Florida Mother's Nightmare: Hearing Her Son's Murder Confession
Dawn Haas, a mother from Florida, believed she had raised a typical son. However, her world shattered when she heard his calm confession to a brutal murder. This harrowing moment is captured in a new Investigation Discovery series, Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer, which premieres on March 31. Haas's story explores the devastating reality of parents discovering their children are capable of unthinkable violence.
The Chilling 911 Call
On January 9, 2020, Justyn Pennell, then 21 years old, intentionally struck and killed 75-year-old Michael Pratt in Hudson, Florida. Pratt, a Vietnam veteran and grandfather, was out walking with his cane. Moments after the hit-and-run, Pennell called 911, admitting, "I just killed someone. I don't know what's wrong with me." In the call, he detailed how he had been driving around looking for people to hit while avoiding witnesses, specifically targeting Pratt after seeing him with a cane.
Pennell was sentenced to life in prison after pleading no contest to first-degree premeditated murder. His mother, Dawn Haas, thought she understood the crime until she heard the 911 recording for the first time in the documentary. "That's not the Justyn I know," she said, shocked by his detached demeanor. Haas wiped away tears, shaking her head in disbelief, asking why this happened.
Disturbing Signs from Childhood
Haas recalls disturbing behaviors in her son from a young age. When Pennell was nine, he became annoyed with a duck and slammed it repeatedly against a log. As a teenager, he laughed when his cousin was struck by a car. "It created a red flag in the back of my brain that he might be a psychopath," Haas explained. She tried to get him evaluated by doctors but was told he was just a typical kid with nothing to alarm about.
Despite these signs, Haas never imagined her "sweet, baby boy" could commit murder. She described waking up to him staring at her, fits of rage, and his amusement at others' injuries. "There's so much more to him that I didn't see, so much more that I didn't know," she told the documentary crew.
A Murder Kit and Chilling Admissions
In the documentary, Haas sees photos of items recovered from Pennell's car after the killing, including multiple knives, gloves, and a hatchet. "That's a literal murder kit," she reacted in horror. Pennell admitted to investigators that he had been thinking about killing someone for several months and had a fondness for knives, even considering slicing people open.
After hitting Pratt, Pennell didn't flee; his damaged vehicle stopped at the scene where he called 911. When asked how he felt after the murder, he told investigators, "I just smiled and laughed. I enjoyed it, but afterwards, I calmed down. I was more ashamed that I broke the car." Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco described the act as "pure evil," noting Pennell could see the fear on Pratt's face before accelerating.
Legal Proceedings and Ongoing Trauma
In 2022, Pennell changed his plea to no contest, meaning he did not admit guilt but wouldn't challenge the charges. In court, he cited diagnoses of Asperger's, depression, and PTSD, acknowledging he wasn't on medication but was capable of clear decision-making. Judge Mary Handsel sentenced him to life in prison.
Haas continues to keep in touch with her son, whom she calls "Bubby." The hardest part for her is hearing his darkest thoughts and wondering if the signs were always there. "The mom in me is still feeling the hurt he's feeling," she said between sobs. "Because I can fix him and make him better? No, I can just love him."
Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer premieres on March 31 at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery, with episodes available on HBO Max. The series features multiple parents grappling with the realization that their children are killers, shedding light on this tragic and often overlooked aspect of crime.
