Kevin Golec court

Kevin Golec, left, with attorney Don Malarcik.

(Adam Ferrise, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron father pleaded guilty to stabbing his son to death.

Kevin Golec, 53, shook his head as he pleaded guilty to murder Monday morning shortly before jury selection was set to begin in his trial.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tammy O'Brien is scheduled to sentence Golec at 2:30 p.m. He will be sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility in 15 years.

Friends and family members who would have testified during the trial are now expected to give victim impact statements at the Monday afternoon hearing.

Defense attorney Donald Malarcik said during the plea hearing that he and co-counsel Noah Munyer discussed a plea deal with prosecutors for several months, but came to an agreement before the trial began.

Golec stabbed his son Brian Golec, 22, in the neck on Feb. 13 at Brian Golec's home in the 1100 block of Inman Street.

The son told a friend about an hour before his death that he planned to confront his father about stealing money and using drugs in his house.

Brian Golec came home from practicing with his local alt-rock band, Murphy's Children. His father called 911 about an hour later and said that his son was a member of a cult, and several cult members had attacked his son.

Investigators later determined that Kevin Golec attacked and stabbed his son inside the home. Brian Golec ran from the house to get help. His father grabbed him and dragged him down the driveway to a side door of the home, according to court records.

Brian Golec's mother, Christine Hamblin, told Northeast Ohio Media Group that her son and his father had little or no contact and that they started to rebuild their relationship two years ago.

The father had felony convictions in 2007 and 2012 for failing to pay child support. He failed to pay more than $30,000 in child support for his son, according to Portage County court records.

The younger Golec learned that his father was living out of his truck a few months before the stabbing. He invited him to live at his house, Hamblin said. She said it appeared the two were growing closer.

Brian Golec, who went to Coventry High School and got his diploma online, once identified as a woman and went by the name Bri, according to close friends. They said in the year leading up to his death, he went by Brian.

Investigators said Brian Golec's gender identity was not a factor in his death.