The Murder of Sean Babbitt - An amazing Father, Brother, and Friend

Sean Babbitt was the kind of person people describe as unforgettable. He was kind, brilliant, creative, and funny. He loved Halloween, Star Trek, and Dungeons & Dragons. He played guitar and sang with his siblings. He published music on Bandcamp and lit up every room he walked into.

He was also a father—and that meant everything to him.

After a painful divorce and a custody agreement that left him with just one hour of supervised visitation a week, Sean still showed up. Every Monday morning at 7AM, he was there—ready to soak up whatever time he could get with his son. According to his stepdad, he couldn’t wait for those visits. And he wasn’t trying to avoid his responsibilities—he was paying child support, attending counseling, and trying to do everything by the book.

In 2019, after years of this arrangement, Sean finally filed to request more time. He was hopeful, and his attorney believed he had a good chance of success. His family said he seemed lighter, more at ease. He was ready for the next chapter.

But he never made it there.

The day after Easter Sunday, during what should’ve been a routine visit, Sean was shot and killed by his former mother-in-law—who was also the person assigned to supervise those weekly visits. She claimed it was self-defense. Prosecutors called it premeditated murder.

What followed was heartbreaking—not just because of Sean’s death, but because of how quickly his character was put on trial. Claims were made about who he was, what kind of father he had been, and why he “must” have posed a danger. But there was no concrete evidence of abuse. Nothing to explain why a peaceful, loving dad was given such minimal access to his own child—or why he died asking for more.

Sean’s brother Chris described him as his best friend, his favorite person, his soulmate. They were so close, Chris said, they were “closer than twins.” In the aftermath of Sean’s murder, Chris shared a powerful statement—urging people not to let the narrative be hijacked by vague accusations and character assassination. He wanted people to remember the Sean he knew. The Sean who made music, who made people laugh, and who adored his son.

We think that matters.

This story isn’t just about a shooting. It’s about a father who deserved better and about a custody arrangement that never should have put him in such a vulnerable position. Systems that are supposed to protect families can sometimes isolate and endanger them instead.

It’s about Sean, and we know you'll see the amazing person he was just like we did

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