Three-and-a-half years and an entire inheritance later, Pelle Wall can finally rest assured knowing his mother’s death has been brought to justice.

Originally ruled a suicide, Pelle was on a mission to prove that his mother didn’t kill herself — that she was murdered.

But the victory of brining his mother’s murderer to justice was bittersweet when Pelle ended up putting his own father, John Wall, behind bars.

Pelle Wall telling his story to 48 Hours. Image credit: Daily Mail

The Wall family of Salt Lake City, Utah was no stranger to family issues. The parents, Uta von Schwedler and John Wall, were divorced and had their fare share of custody battles.

John Wall and Uta von Schwedler divorced in 2006 after almost 16 years of marriage. Image credit: CBS News.

Then one day in September 2011 the family got news that Uta had taken her own life. This tragic news sent shockwaves throughout the family. According to reports, she had drowned in her bathtub, with a large amount of Xanax in her system and a family scrapbook close by.

Uta was very accomplished in her field as a top cancer researcher. Throughout her career she had many great accomplishments including writing one of the 30 most prominent papers on HIV in the last 30 years. Also, not long before her death she made a breakthrough discovery that could help find new treatments for childhood leukemia.

Uta was a top cancer researcher and made breakthrough discoveries for treatments of childhood leukemia. Image credit: Daily Mail

So, when Pelle’s father told him (the oldest of the four kids) and his siblings about their mother’s death, Pelle didn’t believe it. He felt the story didn’t match up with the happy, active and intelligent mother he knew.

Pelle and Uta enjoying time together in the great outdoors. Image credit: CBS News

Just days before her death Uta had finally persuaded the court to reevaluate the child custody agreement between her and John, which was a constant source of tension and friction between the two. This fact only added to Pelle’s skepticism.

That coupled with the fact that Uta (who had never taken Xanax) was written a prescription for it by John only made Pelle more suspicious.

What also raised Pelle’s eyebrows was his father’s unusual behavior in the days after Uta’s death — he had a mysterious scratch on his face and was “deeply troubled” asking his children if he was a monster, according to the Daily Mail.

Pelle also witnessed first hand the constant animosity between his father and mother.

“As I thought about … my dad’s behavior before and after her death, it became more and more apparent to me that — that he was responsible for killing her,” Pelle told CBS News’s 48 Hours, according to Lift Bump.

As this shocking realization settled in, Pelle became worried about his siblings. According to the Daily Mail, he told CBS that he feared for his and his sibling’s lives, fearful they might be living with a murderer.

“Part of the reason I was concerned for my safety as well as my sibling’s safety — was that I saw this anger that he had towards my mother,” Pelle said, according to the Daily Mail. “It didn’t’ die with her. It jumped and it expanded.”

Even though the investigation was underway, Salt Lake City officials hadn’t made any effort to remove Pelle and his siblings from their father’s home. That’s when it dawned on Pelle — the safety of his siblings was in his hands and it was up to him to protect them.

John Wall. Image credit: Twitter, sourced from Lift Bump

“I realized that my presence there was not protecting my siblings,” Pelle told CBS, according to Lift Bump. “And once I had that realization and I moved out, then I could take active steps to protect them.”

Once he turned 18, Pelle packed his bags and moved out of his father’s house and in with a friend, Jessica Oglesby. With the help of the Oglesby family, he was finally able to get his siblings out of the custody of his father and out of his home.

Salt Lake City officials were eventually able to find enough evidence to charge John Wall with Uta’s murder. As this controversial case went to trial, Pelle had to testify against his father, says Lift Bump. An already difficult task made worse by family members who think John is innocent and believe Pelle is betraying the man who raised him.

Pelle testifying against his own father. Image credit: CBS News

When the verdict came back guilty, Pelle told CBS “It was just like this huge weight had just dropped off. … Lot of relief, a lot of happiness.”

Happiness in knowing that his mother’s death was brought to justice and him and his siblings can begin to move on from this heartbreaking event. John Wall is scheduled for sentencing in July 2015 and is facing up to life in prison.

What did you think of this bizarre story?! Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments below!

SHARE this crazy story with your friends!