Pennsylvania mother strangled son with belt so he wouldn’t face family’s financial troubles, authorities say

A Pennsylvania mom was charged with homicide Wednesday after she advised authorities she strangled her 11-year-old son as a result of she didn’t need him to develop up with the household’s monetary difficulties, court docket data present.

A felony criticism obtained by NBC Philadelphia alleges that Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, 50, stated she killed Matthew Whitehead along with her husband’s belt whereas the boy slept.

DiRienzo-Whitehead was additionally charged with third-degree homicide and possessing an instrument of against the law, on-line court docket data present. 

She is being held in Cape Might, New Jersey, and can be extradited to Pennsylvania for arraignment, the Montgomery County District Lawyer’s Workplace stated in an announcement.

Matthew’s father referred to as 911 on Monday morning after he discovered his SUV lacking and the door locked to the master suite of the household’s house in Horsham, roughly 24 miles north of Philadelphia, the prosecutor’s workplace stated.

Officers discovered Matthew’s physique within the bed room, the place he had gone to sleep along with his mom, the assertion stated. He had ligature marks round his neck and different indicators of strangulation, based on the assertion.

Authorities discovered that DiRienzo-Whitehead was alleged to have killed her son after he went to mattress the night time earlier than after which drove the household’s SUV to Cape Might, New Jersey, about 125 miles south.

In response to the criticism, DiRienzo-Whitehead took the automobile to a preferred seashore and drove it into the ocean.

A photograph printed by NBC Philadelphia exhibits the automobile partly submerged within the water.

DiRienzo-Whitehead left the automobile and walked to the close by city of Wildwood Crest, the prosecutor’s workplace stated. A police officer noticed her strolling down the road sporting “tattered” pajamas and showing raveled and confused, based on an affidavit for possible trigger obtained by NBC Philadelphia.

“I do know what I did,” she stated, based on the affidavit.

She advised authorities that her son had been upset and cried in regards to the household’s monetary struggles the day earlier than, based on the criticism.

“DiRienzo-Whitehead defined that she didn’t need Matthew to develop up with these struggles so she strangled him along with her husband’s belt,” the criticism says.

It is not clear whether or not DiRienzo-Whitehead has a lawyer to talk on her behalf. Courtroom data did not record one.