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Son charged with murder in stabbing death of 73-year-old father in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Plymouth man accused of stabbing 73-year-old father to death
Plymouth man accused of stabbing 73-year-old father to death 02:00

PLYMOUTH - A 73-year-old man was stabbed to death in his home in Plymouth, Massachusetts Thursday morning. His son, Matthew Paluzzi, is now charged with murder.

Plymouth stabbing death

Officers rushed to Anthony Paluzzi's house on Cedar Road in the Manoment section of town at 6:26 a.m. after his wife called 911, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz. Paluzzi had been stabbed in the neck and died. Cruz said a large kitchen knife was found nearby.

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Police at the Paluzzi's home on Cedar Road in Plymouth, August 15, 2024. CBS Boston

Investigators then launched a search for Paluzzi's 26-year-old son, Matthew, who Cruz said is known to Plymouth Police.

Matthew Paluzzi was found about three hours later, at 9:45 a.m., driving on Columbia Road in Hanover, which is about 20 miles north of Plymouth.  

Video from a Massachusetts State Police helicopter showed officers with guns drawn surrounding Paluzzi's car and ordering him to lay on the ground before he was handcuffed.

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Matthew Paluzzi Plymouth Police

Cruz told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning that Matthew Paluzzi was a "person of interest" at that point in the investigation. But, later in the day, Paluzzi was charged with one count of murder in his father's death. He will be arraigned Friday in Plymouth District Court.

"After a while, I came out and I asked the police officers, because they were in the driveway, and I said 'Is Tony ok?' And he said 'No,'" said Lisa Caola, who lives across the street and knows the victim.  "They were wonderful parents, did everything. It's just really sad, heartbreaking."

Cruz would not say what led to the stabbing, but said there was no threat to the public.

Matthew Paluzzi criminal history

After Matthew Paluzzi was taken to the Plymouth Police Department, investigators spent most of the day at his father's home and eventually went inside with a search warrant.

Back in 2020, Matthew Paluzzi was accused of threatening a woman with a gun at a bank in Plymouth, according to a report in the Old Colony Memorial.

Neighbors said they have seen police responding to calls at the Paluzzi's home in the past.

"I know they had some problems, but you can't even imagine this happening. Who could do that to their own father?" Caola told WBZ-TV.  

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