Jose Manuel Gonzalez Testino, 53, was due to be sentenced for bribery and his role in a money laundering scheme when he shot his three-year-old son before turning the gun on himself.
They were found shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide at a luxury condo in Miami apartment at around 8pm.
The mother of the child had contacted police asking them to check on the pair’s welfare after becoming concerned when her son missed soccer practice and she did not hear from the father.
When the officers were unable to break down the door, the mother went to the condo herself.
She made her way to one of the top units, and once inside made the horrifying discovery, the Miami Herald reported.
Miami Public Information Officer Michael Vega confirmed to DailyMail that the man was the boy’s father and said that ‘he had the child legally since Monday’.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the parents were involved in a custody dispute over the child, but police did confirm that he usually lives with his mother.
Relatives had contacted police on Wednesday because they did not hear from the father, which they told authorities was unusual.
Gonzalez Testino had pleaded guilty to charges related to a bribery and corruption scheme connected to Venezuela’s petroleum company PDVSA, and its US subsidiary, Citgo, in May 2019.