A Long Island man has been accused of bludgeoning his mother to death with an ax, according to prosecutors. The incident allegedly happened last month, and he was charged with second degree murder at his arraignment yesterday.
Family members say the suspect, 24-year-old Sean Farrell, suffers from schizophrenia and had recently stopped taking his medication; prosecutors say that on December 9th, Farrell fatally bludgeoned 45-year-old mother Bonnie Farrell-Connolly in the head with the blunt side of an ax in the bedroom of her house before checking himself into the psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital.
His grandmother, Letitia Dunn, says Farrell called her from the hospital and confessed to the murder. "Sean told me he was scared and confused. He told me he killed my daughter and that he was selfish and should have killed himself," Dunn wrote in a statement to police, noting that he added, "I hope nobody is mad at me."
Farrell's grandfather, Gene Dunn, says his daughter planned to take Farrell to the hospital the next day. "Nobody saw this coming. We’re all blaming ourselves," he told the Post. And he hopes Farrell gets medical help instead of jail time. "The doctor took him off his medication and my daughter tried to get him back on his medication," he told News 12 Long Island. "People take this schizophrenia very seriously, it's a dangerous disease and we didn't know how dangerous it was, unfortunately."
No motive has been given for the slaying, and Farrell told reporters after his arrest on Thursday, "It’s a long story. I’m going to save it for the judge.” He is currently being held without bail, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
