GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN, The man accused of killing his fiancée and her two sons in Grand Rapids late last month told Target 8 that he “just snapped” after being told he would need to move out of the home they shared.
Charles Broomfield, 44, spoke to Target 8 during a 45-minute video interview from the Kent County Jail, where he is being held on three counts of first-degree premeditated murder along with weapons charges. He is accused of killing his fiancée, Jacqueline Neill, and her sons, 15-year-old Cameron Kilpatrick and 13-year-old Michael Kilpatrick, on the morning of January 27.
Broomfield, who has no prior criminal record, claimed during the interview that one of his alleged alternate personalities was responsible for the shootings, a claim Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said he does not believe.
“She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me out of any woman I’ve ever been with,” Broomfield said of Neill. He said the couple met eight years ago on Tinder and shared a 5-year-old son together. Neill also had two daughters in addition to the two boys who were killed.
“I don’t call her Jacqueline,” Broomfield said. “I always called her Bunny, because she was my Bunny.”
He said tensions had grown between them over time, including disagreements about parenting. The family had moved into the Worden Street SE home just days before the shootings.
“I remember the night before like it was yesterday,” Broomfield said, describing a stressful evening with family members still helping move belongings into the home. He said he and Neill were arguing and “being petty” toward each other.
According to Broomfield, he woke up early on January 27 to shovel snow when he received a text message from Neill telling him the relationship was over and that he needed to leave.
“‘This ain’t going to work out, you’ve got to find someplace else to go,’” he said, recounting the message.
He said the argument continued inside the home.
“Something inside me just seen red,” Broomfield said. “Snapped. I just snapped. I blacked out.”
He acknowledged retrieving a gun and killing Neill and her two sons.
“I just lost it,” he said. “Didn’t think about nothing until after all of it happened and I was just straight crying.”
Police said both boys were shot in their beds. When officers first arrived at the scene, Broomfield claimed two intruders had broken into the home and carried out the killings. Investigators later said that story fell apart due to inconsistencies, and Broomfield confessed.
Broomfield said he believes one of his alternate personalities, which he referred to as “Charles,” committed the acts. He told Target 8 he struggles with what he described as internal battles among different identities, though prosecutors have rejected those claims.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Broomfield has spoken about multiple personalities while in custody but said he does not believe the explanation.
When asked whether he was attempting to build an insanity defense, Broomfield denied it, saying he had never hurt anyone before and had no criminal history. He said he believes he belongs in a psychiatric hospital rather than prison.
Broomfield apologized to the victims’ family during the interview.
“None of this was supposed to happen,” he said. “I’m sorry to all of them.”
The victims’ family declined to comment for this report. A memorial service for Jacqueline Neill and her two sons is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Remembrance Church in Walker, and the family has said the public is welcome to attend.
