According to authorities, a man was apprehended after he allegedly assaulted his elderly parents, ignited their Massachusetts residence, and left them inside despite their cries for assistance.
The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office reported that Darius Hazard, 44, faces murder and arson charges after his parents, Venture, 76, and Donald, 83, were discovered deceased in the living room of their torched North Adams home on Monday.
Investigators stated that Hazard admitted to physically attacking his parents within their home, spreading gasoline on the floor, and igniting the house before fleeing in his vehicle, abandoning them in the burning structure.
Firefighters responding to the fire around 7 a.m. on Monday morning discovered both of the suspect’s parents dead inside the home. The medical examiner determined their cause of death to be smoke inhalation.
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Hazard was later taken into custody by police at a Walmart parking lot. After officers frisked him, he disclosed that he had a knife in his car and had attempted to stab himself, showing injuries to his thigh and chest.
According to WNYT, prosecutors stated that Hazard informed officers he became “really, really angry” while he and his father were assisting his mother, who had difficulty walking and suffered from advanced arthritis and scoliosis, after she fell around 3 a.m., as indicated in court documents.
“I guess I snapped,” he stated.
The outlet reported that Hazard was yelling at and repeatedly hitting them. His father instructed him to stop, which he eventually did. Subsequently, he shoved both parents to the floor and struck them with various objects, including his fist, even throwing a fan at his father.
He spread gasoline on the floor both upstairs and in the living room, lit a match, and then drove away.
When he departed, his parents were injured but still alive. He told police that they were shouting “come back” and “help me, help us, we are in trouble” as he left the residence.
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Hazard acknowledged that he should not have lost control in this manner. He mentioned that he had lost his temper previously, yelling or breaking items, but this marked the first instance of him assaulting his parents.
News 10 reported that he has entered a plea of not guilty and is being held without bail at Berkshire County House of Correction.
