Source: Thomas Trutschel / Getty
A man in Long Island was arrested on Thursday after allegedly stabbing his elderly father to death during a Zoom call.
According to reports from The New York Times, prosecutors say 72-year-old Dwight Powers was on a Zoom call with more than 20 people when he was attacked by his 32-year-old son, Thomas Scully-Powers. He allegedly entered the room and immediately started beating his father before leaving and returning with a knife. That’s what prompted one of the Zoom callers to alert the police. Others in the meeting say they saw Powers on the screen, then he disappeared.
“They just noticed him fall off the screen and then they heard heavy breathing,” Suffolk County police detective, Lt. Kevin Beyrer, said. “It was horrible that they had to witness this.”
When police arrived, the son jumped out of a second-story window and fled. He managed to make it to a deli across the highway, where he attempted to use bottles of Dr. Pepper to clean off his father’s blood. Police found him less than an hour later.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, Scully-Powers stabbed his father multiple times in the back, neck, and torso. Once he was arrested, he admitted to stabbing his father more than 15 times. According to the medical examiner’s report, the attack left Powers nearly decapitated.
Even though he admitted to the crime, Scully-Powers ended up pleading not guilty to a murder charge on Friday in court. Now, he’s being held at the Riverhead Correctional Facility facing a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.
The actual motive for this stabbing is still being investigated. While officials are set to look into Scully-Powers’ mental health leading up to the incident, Suffolk County District Attorney, Timothy D. Sini, already assured the public that justice is going to be served regardless.
“This is a shocking and disturbing case,” Sini said in a statement. “By the defendant’s own admissions, he brutally stabbed his own father repeatedly until he was certain he was dead. The investigation into this horrific murder is still ongoing, but rest assured we will obtain justice for the victim.”
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