‘I’m a man of my word’: Father shoots daughter dead and wraps pride flag around her body ‘as a way to honor her,’ police say

An Idaho man is accused of killing his daughter and attacking his son in a “horrific act of family violence.”

Delbert Cornish, 51, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault, court records show. He is being held in the Canyon County Jail without bond.

According to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate KTVB, Cornish had been planning to kill his three children and himself for nearly a year – ever since he bought a black 9 mm Hi-Point handgun in September or October 2024. Then Monday rolled around.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

At a home on the 1600 block of Blaine Street in Caldwell, a suburb of Boise, the suspect took several shots of alcohol around 9 a.m., he allegedly told Caldwell police officers. After doing so, he entered the bedroom of his 18-year-old daughter – Hope Cornish – and shot her in the side of the head, a probable cause affidavit states.

He then kissed her on the cheek and shot her cat “for the same reasons, because no one would take care of it after they were all dead,” the document says. Delbert Cornish reportedly proceeded to cover Hope Cornish’s body with a large gay pride flag “as a way to honor her, because it was something that meant a lot to her.”

The hours passed, and it is unclear what the suspect did during this time, but when his son arrived home from school, Delbert Cornish is said to have been waiting for him. He asked his son – who is either 14 or 15 – how school was before telling him “he had killed his sister,” trying to convince the boy to “check on his sister,” but the son refused, the affidavit states.

“Delbert then went to the couch [and] grabbed a gun,” at which point his son said he wanted to leave, the affidavit says. But this was reportedly against the alleged shooter’s plans.

Delbert Cornish is said to have “shot at the ground,” blocked the doorway, and pointed the gun at his son’s chest. They fought over the gun, according to the child, with the son eventually winning control over the firearm. The teen then ran away from the house to call 911.

Caldwell police officers reported arriving at the home just after 4 p.m. on Monday. When they entered the front door, they saw a handgun magazine on the ground and a black Hi-Point handgun — without a magazine — “sitting on the couch in the living room.”

Delbert Cornish was not home, but other clues into what had happened were at the residence.

More from Law&Crime: Man kills mother asleep in her recliner with ‘devastating’ shot to the face, spray-painted ‘go to hell’ on the house, police say

There was a “large note written on the wall” between the living room and kitchen, the affidavit said, adding that it appeared to be a possible murder/suicide note. The note allegedly included statements such as “I’m a man of my word my kids died by my hand. I’m tired of them being made fun of” and “I’m going! My kids are going with me.”

Investigators also found Hope Cornish’s body in a bedroom with a “large hatchet sticking into the exterior of the door.” Her “facial skin appeared pale” and she was “obviously dead,” the affidavit adds. Officers began looking for a vehicle “associated with Delbert” – a 2020 orange Dodge Challenger owned by his brother – and with the help of license plate reader cameras, they located it in the city of Mountain Home, about an hour southeast.

He was heading to his ex-girlfriend’s home, KTVB reported, and police said he was arrested “without incident.” Once in custody, he allegedly admitted murdering his daughter.

“I’m not gonna lie, I did it dude,” Delbert Cornish reportedly said unprompted as an officer was preparing to test him for gunshot residue (GSR). He then asked questions about the crime scene and whether investigators had found his daughter’s body, according to the affidavit. When the officer replied in the affirmative, the suspect reportedly “began to cry.”

“Delbert asked further questions about the gun and told me he should’ve shot himself, as well as said he didn’t want to shoot his son,” the document adds. “I later collected the GSR sample from each of his hands. While collecting the sample from his left hand, Delbert informed me that he shot the gun with his right hand.”

The affidavit goes on, in detail, about an alleged motive.

“Delbert admitted to me that he is an alcoholic who struggles with depression,” it states. “Delbert said he is tired of living and is tired of being ‘belittled’ by his brother, whom he his children live with. Delbert advised he is tired of his children being bullied by [his brother] and referenced named he calls them[.]”

Delbert Cornish allegedly then outlined that he wanted to kill his three children – which included a 24- or 25-year-old son – but the plan was “thwarted” when this older son violated his parole a few months ago and was sent back to prison.

“Delbert explained he wanted to kill his children along with himself because he believed nobody, especially [his brother], would take care of them once he was dead, and that they would not be able to carry on in life without him,” the detective wrote in the court document. “Because of this, he believed they would all be better off dead.”

The suspect also reportedly “said he felt remorseful” for shooting his daughter and said he didn’t hit his younger son – whom he said was his only biological child – “because of his love for him.”

Furthermore, while Delbert Cornish initially told the detective he did not try to kill himself once his younger son left, he “later stated he picked up the handgun from the ground and put his to his right temple” just to realize it would not fire.

Delbert Cornish has a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 3.

“My heart is heavy, and I am deeply saddened for the family and friends affected by this horrific act of family violence,” said Caldwell Chief of Police Rex Ingram. “I am thankful for the outstanding mutual aid and partnerships with our outside agencies who assisted with identifying and capturing this savage without incident.”

The post ‘I’m a man of my word’: Father shoots daughter dead and wraps pride flag around her body ‘as a way to honor her,’ police say first appeared on Law & Crime.