I Just Killed My Dad covers the story of Anthony Templet, a young man who was arrested in June 2019 after admitting to shooting his father Burt Templet in the head three times when he was only 17 years old, but what facts and information did they leave out from the complicated case of Burt Templet's death? At first, the police thought the situation was a simple murder case, but after questioning Anthony Templet, they would discover that the case was much more complex, involving several years of abuse and torture. The documentary released on Netflix.
Burt Templet was an extremely abusive father, something that I Just Killed My Dad documents extensively in the final two episodes of the Netflix documentary. Burt Templet kidnapped Anthony away from his mother, Teresa Thompson, when he was five years old, taking him from Texas to Louisiana. Later, he would lie to Anthony by telling him that his mother had abandoned him and become a drug addict. Teresa Thompson and Anthony's half-sister Natasha would spend the next 11 years searching for Anthony, until they found him following his arrest.
Netflix usually has fairly accurate documentaries and I Just Killed My Dad is no different. The documentary is full of many details about the case and even includes interviews with Anthony Templet himself, but it was unable to include all the information about the case. Particularly at the documentary's end, I Just Killed My Dad seems to leave a few questions unanswered about Anthony Templet's case and the information surrounding it, leading to a slightly unsatisfying ending for the documentary. Here are a few small details missing from Netflix's documentary.
Teresa Thompson Charged Burt Templet With Three Counts Of Assault In 2002
Burt Templet was always an abusive husband and father, and in 2002 he was charged with three separate counts of assault, all filed by Teresa Thompson. However, the court in Harris County, Texas mostly ignored these charges and two of them were dismissed. Shockingly, an investigator in I Just Killed My Dad claims that they found no criminal charges against Burt Templet during their investigation, when clearly this wasn't the case. These charges, which took place six years before Burt abducted Anthony, prove that Burt always had abusive tendencies.
The Argument That Lead To Burt Templet’s Murder Started With a Phone Call
I Just Killed My Dad includes Anthony Templet's 911 call where he explains to the police how he shot his dad in an act of self-defense when they got into a violent argument. This argument began early in the morning when Burt Templet attempted to steal Anthony's phone from him, under the suspicion that Burt's ex-wife Susan was trying to contact Anthony. This argument quickly escalated into a violent attack, and Anthony locked himself in a room with two guns and his phone.
Louisiana Newspaper The Advocate Shared An Obituary For Burt Templet
On June 8th of 2019, Louisiana newspaper The Advocate wrote an obituary for Burt Templet. The obituary itself was fairly short, only listing the date of Burt Templet's passing, his age, and his family that he left behind. The end of the obituary mentions that Burt Templet was killed in a tragic case of domestic violence that ended very badly, an insufficient way to summarize the events of the case. I Just Killed My Dad covers the case extensively in its three episodes, and the show's popularity could see it become one of the top shows on Netflix.
Anthony Templet’s Five-Year Probation Also Has Requirements
Following the end of I Just Killed My Dad, one of the biggest questions that the documentary fails to cover appropriately is the current status of Anthony Templet today. Instead of going to prison, Anthony Templet was given a five-year probation period. To go along with his probation, his is also required to attend counseling with a therapist, work towards and earn his GED, and keep a full-time job. The court felt that receiving therapy and the opportunity to move on with his life would be a healthier option for Anthony Templet's mental health than to lock him up in prison. If Anthony Templet is able to fulfill all of these requirements during his five-year probation, then his criminal record will be expunged, and he can potentially move on from this horrific chapter of his life.