Zebulon man is charged with killing his son. Here’s why he was released on bond.
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- A Zebulon man charged with murdering his son has claimed self-defense.
- Court records say the son grew violent because of alcoholism and mental health issues.
- Andrew Torry, 60, posted $450,000 bond Thursday.
A Zebulon man charged with murder in his son’s shooting posted bond Thursday after arguing in court that he was in fear for his own life during the incident.
Andrew Torry, 60, is accused of fatally shooting 28-year-old Tristan Torry the evening of Nov. 19 at their Taramar Lane home, The News & Observer previously reported. Zebulon police responding to the incident killed a dog in the home that reportedly charged at them.
Torry had remained in jail without bail since the shooting, but he posted $450,000 secured bond Thursday after a judge granted his request to set a bail amount, court records show.
In a Jan. 8 motion to the court, Torry’s attorney said Tristan struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues leading to violent tendencies. He’d been in and out of hospitals throughout his life and was allegedly kicked out of at least three homes in recent years, the motion said.
Andrew Torry reportedly took his son in around May after Tristan was cited for carrying a concealed pistol, possessing a firearm at a park and being intoxicated at Falls Lake State Recreation Area in Wake Forest, according to court documents. Tristan’s older brother, who had been living with Andrew Torry, moved out because he was worried about what Tristan might do, the motion claims.
“Tristan, who was unemployed but receiving monthly VA disability payments since his discharge from the military, was drinking all day every day,” the motion states. “His aggressive behavior escalated to such an extent that Mr. Torry installed security locks on the inside of his bedroom door and security cameras in the upstairs and downstairs of the home.”
Weeks before the deadly shooting, about 10:30 p.m. Oct. 7, Andrew Torry called 911 after a drunken Tristan allegedly tried to break into his locked bedroom, court documents show. Zebulon police declined Andrew Torry’s requests to remove Tristan from the home, the motion alleges.
While Andrew Torry was at work the afternoon of Nov. 19, he received alerts on his phone from the security cameras showing Tristan removing the cameras after kicking down a locked door, according to the motion. Torry called two different crisis services, speaking with one for almost 20 minutes, before going home that day, cellphone records show.
“His plan was to quickly pack a bag and leave his home to get away from Tristan, but before the 60-year-old man could get to the safety of his room and lock the door, his 29-year-old son attacked him,” the motion states.
Andrew Torry called 911 to report the alleged assault, according to the motion, which doesn’t describe how or when Tristan Torry was shot. It was Tristan’s dog that was killed by responding officers, the motion states.
After a hearing Wednesday, Judge Winston Gilchrist granted Andrew Torry’s request for bail, on the conditions that he is subjected to electronic monitoring, surrenders his passports and only travels out of the state for work purposes, according to court documents.
Ash Carter, a friend who spoke to a local newspaper on the Isle of Man, told the paper Tristan Torry attended high school there from 2011 to 2013 and returned to the United States after.
“His unconditional love radiated for Koda,” Carter said in the article, referring to the dog who was killed. “He was his best friend. It’s sad, yet poetic, that they left together.”
The friends had reportedly remained in touch after Tristan Torry left the Isle of Man, with Carter describing him as “made of tough stuff.”
“He didn’t seem to have bad days — he had character-building days,” Carter said.
A LinkedIn profile apparently belonging to Tristan Torry said he’d attended Oak Ridge Military Academy in North Carolina and joined the U.S. Army in 2016. It’s not clear when he was discharged.
Andrew Torry is next set to appear in court Feb. 9, court records show.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 5:50 AM with the headline "Zebulon man is charged with killing his son. Here’s why he was released on bond.."
