Amir Issa (Image via Facebook)

Amir Issa, 38, was thought to have been killed by his own father simply because he was gay. After all, Issa documented his parents' kooky expressions of disapproval on social media ahead of his death from a shotgun blast last week, a murder for which his dad, Shehada Issa, 69, was arrested and charged.

Often lost in the reporting of this story is the fact that Issa's mother, Rabihah, 68, was also found dead in the house.

Now, investigators theorize that Shehada murdered his son primarily to cover up the stabbing death of his wife. His story to cops was that he'd heard noises in his home, grabbed his gun and was confronted by his knife-wielding son, whom he claimed must have stabbed his wife to death.

In reality, there was no knife found near Amir's body, and Rabihah had been killed some time before Amier.

I think the L.A. Times got it right in reporting that “homophobia, drugs and mental illness” all probably led to Amir's and Rabihah's senseless murders:

There were a number of signs that Amir Issa's killing was not a simple story of a father acting out of murderous rage that his son was gay.

Turmoil appears to have reigned behind closed doors at the Issa home since Amir moved back in with his parents, which neighbors said occurred within the last two years. LAPD Sgt. Greg Bruce said officers had been called to the home to help evict Amir, whose parents were attempting to sell the house against their son's wishes. The son had even vandalized the house, according to police.

So, it would seem this is not a simple case of a Christian honor killing of a shame-bringing gay son, but something more complicated, even if it is likely the father's willingness to snuff out the life of his flesh and blood may well have been due in part to his contempt for his son's sexual identity.