Avella man accused of shooting brother to death

Richard G. Bauduin Jr. had been known to negotiate disputes between his brother and their father, but he became the victim of a deadly argument on Saturday night, authorities said.

“I was in the kitchen trying to cook,” Richard G. Bauduin Sr., 75, of Avella, the father of the two men, said on Sunday. “They were arguing a little bit, and the first thing I heard was a gunshot. Just one shot.”

Bauduin Jr., 48, of Colliers, W.Va., died of a shotgun blast in the head in the 800 block of Bethel Ridge Road, where his father and brother lived, according to Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco.

The victim's brother, Robert J. Bauduin, 46, was charged with homicide and placed in the Washington County Jail.

The shooting was reported shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday. State police in Washington County are handling the investigation.

“Every time something happened argument-wise between Richard Sr. and Rob, they would end up calling Rick, and Rick would end up being the mediator between the two of them,” said Jordan Parker, 22, of Colliers, W.Va. He is the son of Bauduin Jr.'s fiancee, Jana Weatherly.

Parker said Bauduin Jr. often had problems with his brother.

“It wasn't the best relationship between him and his brother,” Parker said. “I've been in a coupleconfrontations with Rob. I really can't remember (what they were about). It was stupid. I called Rick, and he would come and pick me up, and I'd leave.”

Parker said neither he nor his mother was present during the fatal argument.

“I try not to put myself around him,” Parker said of Robert Bauduin. “I didn't like him to begin with.”

Bauduin Sr. said he does not know what the two were arguing about. His older son worked as a machinist at Ross Mould Inc. in Washington, and his younger son in construction.

“He ain't working. He's got no money. He's been in trouble before,” the father said of Robert Bauduin.

A search of court records indicates Robert Bauduin has been charged on 77 counts, many of them dismissed, in Pennsylvania and Florida courts. The charges range from traffic offenses to those involving drinking, assault, harassment and terroristic threats.

He pleaded guilty to general impairment in March 2010 in Pennsylvania, the most recent record indicates, and two other traffic-related offenses then were dropped.

Bill Zlatos is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7828 or bzlatos@tribweb.com.