The man accused of murdering his elderly neighbors at a California nudist resort reportedly became enraged after being offered a hot dog.
Michael Sparks, 62, is charged with the brutal August 2024 murders of Daniel Menard, 79, and Stephanie Menard, 73, at the Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort in the Inland Empire.
According to testimony at a court hearing this week, Sparks allegedly confessed to another inmate that he beat the couple to death with a rake, hoe, and hammer over what he perceived to be a slight, according to the Press-Enterprise.
Redlands Police Detective Thomas Williams testified that Sparks felt disrespected after Daniel Menard bought him a hot dog, interpreting the gesture as a sign that he was “only worth a dollar.”
Sparks went on to drown the couple’s dog, Cuddles, in a sink and allegedly confessed to the murders in a text message to a former coworker.
“Chopped up my neighbors,” he allegedly stated. “I had no idea I had it in me.” SNAPPED.”
Sparks was apprehended a week later after an armed standoff with police, which ended when Sparks attempted to shoot himself but his rifle failed. According to KTLA, law enforcement discovered him in a concrete bunker beneath his home, alongside human remains.
He remains detained at the West Valley Detention Center.
