LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – A man beat his elderly parents to death after being confronted about his drug use, Lakeland police say.

Detectives arrested Felix Molina, 42, in Tampa Thursday for the murder of his parents Ada “Irma” and Francisco Molina.

The couple was found dead in their King’s Manor Mobile Home Park home on Sunday morning after officers conducted a welfare check.

“I’m the son of Felix Molina and all I have to say about it is he chose a different lifestyle than me and his sister,” said Private 1st Class Christian Molina, at a press conference Friday.

Christian Molina drew a stark line between his father, Felix Molina, and the rest of his family.

His grandparents, he said, made him the man he is today.

“We weren’t the richest family but they always did everything they could to make me the right person. That’s why I decided to join the U.S. Army,” he said.

His father took a different path, he said.

Felix Molina moved back in with his parents in February and told detectives a drug dealer came to see him at the family home on Aug. 6.

When he went back inside, his mother “was angry and began to yell at Felix N. Molina for causing her to suffer over his drug abuse habit,” the arrest affidavit reads.

That’s when Molina retrieved a “round object” and struck her repeatedly in the head.

“Felix N. Molina stated his father, Francisco Molina, who was in the bedroom prior, came out into the living area of the residence and began to confront Felix N. Molina. Felix N. Molina then began to strike his father with the round object in the head repeatedly until he was rendered unconscious,” the arrest affidavit reads.

Molina then drained his mother’s bank account and fled in his parent’s vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Christian Molina alerted police when he received a text message from his grandmother’s phone.

“Christian Molina advised that the text messages did not appear to be from Ada Molina because she could not rapidly text as quick as the text messages were sent to him and she would call and ask Christian Molina for money if she needed any,” the affidavit reads.

Molina and the van were spotted in Tampa in Monday but Molina got away.

He was arrested Thursday and is being held on no bond.

“They did all they could to look out for their family and as sometimes we see in cases that leads to tragedy,” said Chief Ruben Garcia.

Chief Garcia said Molina’s criminal record included 20 arrests since he was 19-years-old in Florida, Indiana, and New York.

The Molinas were beloved in their King’s Manor Mobile Home Park community.

Irma Molina loved gardening and simple pleasures in life, Christian Molina said.

She would help anyone who needed it.

“My grandfather, great noble man. Always quiet, always sweet. Never really had anything bad to say. He was always trying his best to just make everyone feel like they were comfortable here at home. They didn’t deserve what happened to them,” said Molina.