GUILTY PA - Matthew Whitehead, 11, found deceased in mom’s bedroom, her SUV found in NJ ocean, Horsham Twp, 11 Apr 2023 *arrest*

[Katrinepa]

"They have her in what's called a suicide suit. For a reason," Tinari told Action News.

Her defense attorney says DiRienzo-Whitehead does not deny killing her son, but says she is suffering from mental illness.

"A lot of difficulty, as she already stated, with finances. But it was a lot more than that. It's not that simple. There's a multitude of factors and layers that contributed to how she got to this point," said Tinari.

Mom accused of killing son appears on courtroom video to waive extradition

During Friday's hearing, Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead only spoke to give one-word answers to the judge.

6abc.com

Dressed in, what law enforcement sources told NBC10's Deanna Durante was, a vest typically used to protect someone from harming themselves, Dirienzo-Whitehead spoke in soft -- almost inaudible -- answers when questioned by Judge Bernard DeLury.

"Do you wish to waive your rights and be returned to Pennsylvania?" asked DeLury.

Dirienzo-Whitehead nodded twice as she softly whispered the word, "yes."

Montco Mother Charged With Murdering 11-Year-Old Son Waives Extradition Hearing

Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, 50 -- who is accused of killing her son before she abandoned her car on a Jersey Shore beach this past week -- waived her right to an extradition hearing on Friday morning.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Her lawyer is a well known, very expensive lawyer, and knows how to play the game, often used to prevent the Death Penalty, which PA does not currently use, and the current Governor said he will continue the moratorium, calling for it to be removed altogether. I wonder who is paying the lawyer...

 

[Gemmie]

Her lawyer is a well known, very expensive lawyer, and knows how to play the game, often used to prevent the Death Penalty, which PA does not currently use, and the current Governor said he will continue the moratorium, calling for it to be removed altogether. I wonder who is paying the lawyer...

BBM

And she thought she had financial problems before... smh

Matthew's tuition was a whole heck of a lot cheaper than this lawyer will end up being. Just sayin'.

 

[Observant-ADHD-ENFP-BSc]

It could be possible her family is paying for the lawyer.

 

[Katrinepa]

In some states, it's done this way so that the jury can return a verdict of guilty, regardless of whether it was pre-meditated or intentional, or instead, was in an act of passion or whatever their law says about second degree.

That way, instead of having a hung jury and a mistrial, they get a conviction on something.

IMO.

She is Charged with 1st and 3rd Degree. Third Degree might apply if she is found to have mental illness... MOO​

In some states, it's done this way so that the jury can return a verdict of guilty, regardless of whether it was pre-meditated or intentional, or instead, was in an act of passion or whatever their law says about second degree.

That way, instead of having a hung jury and a mistrial, they get a conviction on something.

IMO.

...What Is Third-Degree Murder?​

Someone may be punished for third-degree murder only in three states — Florida, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. This type of murder is a non-premeditated killing committed with the intent to cause bodily harm rather than death.

Elements of third-degree murder​

To be considered third-degree murder, a crime must have these things according to the law:

• Intent to harm — Third-degree murder charges require intent to cause harm to the victim but not intended to kill. Intent to cause death is classified as 1st- or 2nd-degree murder.
• No premeditation — A third-degree murder cannot be premeditated or planned in any way. It is usually the result of committing other minor felonies or reckless behavior.

Examples of third-degree murder​

To classify a crime as third-degree murder depends on the precise legal information for each state that uses this classification. Some examples include:

• Non-violent felony murder — In Florida, a person who unintentionally kills another person while committing various non-violent offenses could be charged with third-degree murder. The exception is certain drug felonies.
• Depraved indifference murder — A depraved indifference murder is classed as a third-degree murder, rather than second-degree, in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. This is when the murder results from committing a reckless act that the defendant knows could cause death and is also known as negligent homicide.
• Drug delivery in death — In Minnesota, the killing of a human being by directly or indirectly providing the victim with drugs is classified as third-degree murder. This also used to be the case in Pennsylvania, but it is now a separate crime.

Sentencing and penalties for third-degree murder​

The maximum sentence for third-degree murder depends on the jurisdiction where the crime occurred. The maximum sentence for the three states that use this classification is:

• 25 years imprisonment and $40,000 in fines in Minnesota;
• 40 years imprisonment in Pennsylvania; and
• 15 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fines in Florida.

Despite being a lesser crime, third-degree murder still carries a severe punishment.

 

[Katrinepa]

I believe her. It makes no sense, but of course it doesn't because she is not mentally okay. Mentally healthy people don't kill their children.

this guy murdered his whole family over a $2,500 bounced check to the IRS; apparently they were already having financial difficulties but they had a place to live and he had just started a new job, so you'd think a bounced check would be a speed bump that could be worked through, not a precipitant to murder. FWIW, I knew him as a teenager and never in a million years would have expected him to do what he did.

According to the school calendar, he had school that day, so, unless she kept him home, that part of her story is a lie. My feeling is she had to say something, and probably deflected her 'reasoning', perhaps projecting her upset onto him, but Why kill her only child?! Not thinking logically, but until we hear about her Mental Health Evaluations(If) we won't have a clue. I have not heard one word from her husband or neighbors thus far(I live in the town, Horsham, PA). Locally, many who know the family are in shock, and trying to be kind and not intrude too much. Matthew's school has also asked for this.

 

[Katrinepa]

She is Charged with 1st and 3rd Degree. Third Degree might apply if she is found to have mental illness... MOO​

...What Is Third-Degree Murder?​

Someone may be punished for third-degree murder only in three states — Florida, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. This type of murder is a non-premeditated killing committed with the intent to cause bodily harm rather than death.

Elements of third-degree murder​

To be considered third-degree murder, a crime must have these things according to the law:

• Intent to harm — Third-degree murder charges require intent to cause harm to the victim but not intended to kill. Intent to cause death is classified as 1st- or 2nd-degree murder.
• No premeditation — A third-degree murder cannot be premeditated or planned in any way. It is usually the result of committing other minor felonies or reckless behavior.

Examples of third-degree murder​

To classify a crime as third-degree murder depends on the precise legal information for each state that uses this classification. Some examples include:

• Non-violent felony murder — In Florida, a person who unintentionally kills another person while committing various non-violent offenses could be charged with third-degree murder. The exception is certain drug felonies.
• Depraved indifference murder — A depraved indifference murder is classed as a third-degree murder, rather than second-degree, in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. This is when the murder results from committing a reckless act that the defendant knows could cause death and is also known as negligent homicide.
• Drug delivery in death — In Minnesota, the killing of a human being by directly or indirectly providing the victim with drugs is classified as third-degree murder. This also used to be the case in Pennsylvania, but it is now a separate crime.

Sentencing and penalties for third-degree murder​

The maximum sentence for third-degree murder depends on the jurisdiction where the crime occurred. The maximum sentence for the three states that use this classification is:

• 25 years imprisonment and $40,000 in fines in Minnesota;
• 40 years imprisonment in Pennsylvania; and
• 15 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fines in Florida.

Despite being a lesser crime, third-degree murder still carries a severe punishment.

Sorry about the huge print. but I cut and pasted, and not great a techie stuff.

 

[Katrinepa]

SBMFF

Interesting walk she has ~3:00 in on this video. Not only slow, but her arms hung limply at her sides.

Unforfunately that site doesn't allow you to copy a video at a particular moment so you'll have to move to ~3:00 in yourself: Mom accused of killing son appears on courtroom video to waive extradition

 

[Katrinepa]

This woman's "insanity" is nothing more than a sob story led to coax others into having sympathy for her.

She is being evaluated, and as angry and sad as I feel, we must let the process work. We do not know her personally, or her life circumstances. While I have a very hard time believing her story, more will be learned in the investigation, and we have to wait and see. Crazy world these days Stay safe and hug your children extra long...

 

[Katrinepa]

She is being evaluated, and as angry and sad as I feel, we must let the process work. We do not know her personally, or her life circumstances. While I have a very hard time believing her story, more will be learned in the investigation, and we have to wait and see. Crazy world these days Stay safe and hug your children extra long...

She owned the house before she married her husband. Not that it matter much. https://www.propertyiq.com/pa/horsham/505-privet-rd/19044-piq47197175

 

[blooboyy77]

I suppose that's why a family member lives next door. Honestly, from where I'm sitting they really had a good life. Oh, well.

 

[MyJoey]

She is being evaluated, and as angry and sad as I feel, we must let the process work. We do not know her personally, or her life circumstances. While I have a very hard time believing her story, more will be learned in the investigation, and we have to wait and see. Crazy world these days Stay safe and hug your children extra long...

Sounds like she may really have mental illness, for her attorney to come out and say it right away makes me think the family was aware she had issues JMO.

 

[neesaki]

I suppose that's why a family member lives next door. Honestly, from where I'm sitting they really had a good life. Oh, well.

I know. I can see being clinically depressed / distraught enough to take your own life. But I can’t see murdering your own son.
It just seems like pure, selfish evil to me.
Unless, she is determined to be suffering extreme mental illness as in the case of Deanna Laney or Andrea Yates.

Deanna Laney murders - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Andrea Yates - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[neesaki]

I was reading more on Deanna Laney, and thought I’d share this bit of info from the article, as it can apply to this case as well. It addresses motives of parents who kill their children.

https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2019.4b5

In 1969, Phillip Resnick, M.D., reviewed the world literature and categorized five motives of parents who kill. The first, altruistic filicide, is murder out of love, regardless of whether it is in the context of psychosis. The loving parent believes that the child is better off dead—either because that parent is planning to die by suicide and would not leave the child abandoned in the world or because that parent believes the child is going to suffer (for example, because of psychotic beliefs that the child would be kidnapped or tortured).

An acutely psychotic filicide, in distinction, occurs when a psychotic parent kills with no comprehensible nonpsychotic motive. In unwanted child cases, the murdered child is seen as a hindrance to the parent’s goals or desires (such as to marry someone who doesn’t want children). In partner revenge, the parent kills the child as an attempt to punish his or her (usually ex-) partner and make that person suffer; this usually occurs in the context of child custody or divorce proceedings. The most common motive for a parent killing a child, however, is fatal maltreatment (severe neglect or abuse).

 

[Katrinepa]

I was reading more on Deanna Laney, and thought I’d share this bit of info from the article, as it can apply to this case as well. It addresses motives of parents who kill their children.

https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2019.4b5

Very thorough. Thank you.

 

[ifindedout]

Prelim rescheduled to Aug. 31.

Horsham Mom Murder Case Gets New Hearing Date

A preliminary hearing for Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, charged in the strangulation death of her son in Horsham, has been rescheduled again.

patch.com

Hearings scheduled for April 27 and May 10 were continued.

The new date is set for 11:15 a.m. Aug. 31 before Magisterial District Court Judge William Nesbitt III although Hatboro Judge Paul Leo might pick up the hearing.

[...]

Tinari said that while his mental health evaluation of Dirienzo-Whitehead is finished, "the psychiatric evaluation to determine competency" has not been completed by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

He said that the evaluation is expected this week.

 

[ifindedout]

Declared competent. Also testimony from the father.

Montco mom to stand trial after allegedly strangling son, prosecutors say

A Montco mom faced a preliminary hearing where prosecutors said she is competent to stand trial after she allegedly strangled her son.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Prosecutors say Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, 50, is competent to stand trial in Thursday's preliminary hearing in Montgomery County where she was supported by members of her family.

Her lawyer said she had a mental health break at the time of the incident, and she is now getting mental health treatment and medication at the county jail.

[...]

Investigators said Dirienzo-Whitehead was in bed with her 11-year-old son Matthew Whitehead inside their home on the 500 block of Privet Road in Horsham Township around 9:30 p.m. on Monday. Dirienzo-Whitehead's husband and the boy's father was sleeping in another room at the time.

When the father woke up Tuesday morning, he noticed the door to the master bedroom was locked while Dirienzo-Whitehead’s black Toyota Highlander was missing from the garage. The father then forced his way into the bedroom where he found his son’s body. The father then alerted Horsham Township Police.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

It does not sound like she was psychotic and literally didn't know right from wrong, in my current opinion.

It sounds like she felt like a failure and when he son was crying, which could have been for any reason, including how she was acting, she lashed out and then ran.

I mean, no one is in a calm rational state of mind when they commit murder. No doubt she was not doing well, but did she know on some level what she was doing and right from wrong?

What this poor boy must have felt and thought and experienced...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“We loved him, and we will forever mourn his loss, a devastating tragedy for our community, his family, his friends, and our world,” a school spokesperson wrote. “We will do everything in our power to carry his memory forward, to honor him as he so truly deserves, and to live our lives well as a tribute to him. Matthew is the embodiment of love, promise, and goodness, and we will never, ever forget him.”

Montco mom to stand trial after allegedly strangling son, prosecutors say

A Montco mom faced a preliminary hearing where prosecutors said she is competent to stand trial after she allegedly strangled her son.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

In late August, she agreed to waive her preliminary hearing before District Judge Charles Baum in Horsham Township District Court during an appearance attended by a dozen family members.

Arraignment Rescheduled For Horsham Mom Accused Of Strangling Son

Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, charged in the strangulation death of her son, 11, is expected in court Thursday for her arraignment.

patch.com

 

[Katrinepa]

MSN

 

[Katrinepa]

MSN

Trial date set, Feb 12, 2024.