Police: Man Attempts Killing His Elderly Parents
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami Beach authorities have arrested a man after he allegedly tried to kill his parents.
James Mulligan, 47, was at his parents' home when their caregiver, Joy Bennett, called police to report some strange behavior which included hiding a blood stained pillow.
When officers arrived at the home on South Shore Drive in Normandy Shores early Monday morning, they found Mulligan's mother, 72-year old Kathleen, on the floor and his father, 81-year old Thomas, injured in the couple's upstairs bedroom.
Mulligan told the officers his mother had fallen and may have broken her hip.
But a police report said his mother told them a different story. She reportedly said her son grabbed her from behind and started choking her and then continued choking her when she was on the ground. She said she "feared for her life."
Thomas Mulligan was unable to speak and had to communicate via hand gestures. According to the police, Mulligan stated his son tried suffocating him with a pillow and during the fight he cut his ear.
While three of the officers treated the two elderly parents, Mulligan walked outside and jumped into the pool.
Mulligan began swimming back and forth, taunting the police to "come get him," according to his arrest report.
The officers said Mulligan got out of the pool own his own, at which point he was arrested.
While he was in the squad car, Mulligan reportedly became hysterical; he started kicking and screaming, "I killed my parents. Go find the pillow with all the blood on it. I killed my parents."
Police said Mulligan struggled so much with them that they had to knee him in the face to restrain him. Mulligan came to court with a black eye.
Sonya Azoulay, who has lived in the Normandy Shores neighborhood for decades, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I'm shocked. I'm shocked. I can't believe what happened. I can't believe it really happened. For me it's like impossible. Those people are very nice people. Something really went wrong."
Mulligan appeared before bond court Monday. The judge held him without bond and charged him with attempted murder with a deadly weapon, which was the pillow. He is also charged with resisting arrest with violence.
Mulligan will have another hearing on Tuesday morning. "I would like to find my own attorney," Mulligan told the Judge.
The Judge also ordered Mulligan to have no contact whatsoever with his parents.
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