Son charged with killing his 76-year-old father says he "snapped," Massachusetts prosecutors say
PLYMOUTH - A man charged with stabbing his father to death in Plymouth, Massachusetts told police he "snapped," prosecutors said Friday.
Matthew Paluzzi, 26, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in Plymouth District Court.
Plymouth murder
Police said Paluzzi stabbed his father in the neck at their home on Cedar Road in the Manomet section of town early Thursday morning, stole his mother's car and drove away.
Seventy-three-year-old Anthony Paluzzi's body was later found on the couch by his mother. She called 911 and police tracked her son down more than three hours later in Hanover, which is about 20 miles north of Plymouth. According to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, Paluzzi had blood stains on his clothes and blood was present on his hands. Paluzzi was handcuffed and later charged with his father's murder.
Matthew Paluzzi's mental health
Prosecutors said Paluzzi was living with his parents after he allegedly pointed a gun at an ATM drive-thru employee in 2020 and asked her if she wanted to die. He's been on probation and through several mental health treatment programs since, it was revealed in court Friday.
Paluzzi's attorneys asked for money for a forensic psychologist.
"The fact that somebody may have mental health issues doesn't mean that they're not competent, it doesn't mean that they're not criminally responsible," Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz told reporters outside court Friday.
He said they're still waiting for the autopsy report.
"Many times, you can extrapolate additional things from the autopsy results, so we'll see where that leads us," said Cruz.
Neighbors told police they had heard Paluzzi threatening to harm and kill his parents before but still never imagined something like this could happen in their quiet neighborhood.
"People should understand that there are things that can happen anywhere," said Cruz.
Paluzzi is due back in court on Oct. 2.
