SEATTLE (KOMO) – Authorities in Washington state have charged a woman with murder after police say she killed her father with an ice climbing axe.

It all started after an argument about turning on the lights in the house they shared.

According to court documents, the first trouble in the case arose when neighbors heard the sound of glass breaking.

All of this happened on election night, when the presidential race was to be announced.

“My first thought was, are people upset about this election, or is someone trying to break in?” a neighbor asked.

Prosecutors say the real answer is much more dire.

Investigators say 33-year-old Corey Burke broke nearly every window in the house immediately after killing his father with an ice axe.

“The lights were off and only two people lived in that house and only one of them was on the street,” the neighbor added.

The neighbor, who asked not to be named, lives near Burke.

He said he noticed flashing lights outside while he was watching the election results.

He then noticed Burke was covered in blood.

“My thought was that something catastrophic had happened in the house,” said a nearby resident. “My first instinct was, did he kill his father with his bare hands?”

Prosecutors say that’s what happened, except that an ice ax was also used in the murder.

All of this allegedly happened after authorities said Burke was angry at his father for simply turning on the lights inside the house.

“The whole neighborhood is traumatized when things like this happen,” the neighbor said.

Burke is now charged with first-degree murder.

According to prosecutors, Burke may be suffering from a mental health crisis. He was taken to the hospital, then transferred to jail, where he was held on $2 million bail.

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