BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man has been accused of beating to death his adult son, who police said was mentally handicapped.
Ellsworth Hull, 77, turned himself in Tuesday and was charged with second-degree murder, news outlets reported. Baton Rouge police found his son, Derrick Christophe, 40, dead at his family’s home Friday.
Hull told police he struck Christophe with a wooden mop handle and “may have” hit his son in the head with a broken metal broom handle, news outlets reported citing an arrest warrant.
Christophe wasn’t “coming to like he normally does,” compared to previous fights, the warrant stated. Hull said he struck his son after the younger man grabbed him.
Hull placed Christophe in a tub of water before ultimately calling his lawyer, police documents state. The attorney contacted the authorities.
Christophe had been dead for about 12 hours by the time authorities arrived, according to the police report.
Investigators said it appeared the home may have been cleaned before they arrived, noting spots of blood in the living room, bathroom, and hallway, as well as empty bottles of bleach in the house.
An autopsy determined Christophe died from internal bleeding due to multiple blunt force injuries.
