A man in Massachusetts has recently been charged after the death of his elderly parents. The two were previously found dead inside their burning home. According to reports, the couple, who had allegedly been assaulted by their son, had begged their son to come back amid the blaze.
An Elderly Couple’s Son Made A Startling Admission To Police After They Were Found Dead In Their Burning Home
Venture Hazard and Donald Hazard were found dead in their North Adams home on Monday, November 24. They were 76 and 83, respectively, at the time of their deaths.
When arriving at the scene, police learned that a third individual was living at the residence. However, they were not present at the time, and their car was missing. This was their 44-year-old son, Darius Hazard.
In a statement on Facebook, the North Adams Police Department shared that Darius confessed to having physically beaten his parents inside their home. After this, he confessed that he poured gasoline on the first floor of the home and set the house ablaze.”
“The Defendant reported this took place between 3:00am and 4:00am. After allegedly setting the house aflame, the Defendant drove away from the house.”
The couple was reportedly dead at the scene when firefighters arrived. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that their cause of death was smoke inhalation.
The following Tuesday, on November 25, Darius was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on one charge of arson in connection with the incident. His arraignment was set for November 26.
According to WNYT, Darius has pleaded not guilty to the charges. At this time, it is unclear is Darius currently has legal representation to speak for him.
According to News 10, a probable cause report claimed that Darius was struggling to cope with his mother’s condition. At the time, she had been dealing with advanced arthritis and scoliosis. Darius and his father, according to police, were helping his mother after she fell. He then grew agitated before attacking them.
A Few Family Friends Have Recently Spoken Out About The Tragedy
Court documents claimed that Venture and Donald begged their son for help as their house burned down. Darius claimed he could hear his parents yell, “Come back,” and “Help me, help us, we are in trouble.”
The couple’s neighbors then notified emergency personnel that something was wrong after seeing smoke coming from the home. Darius himself was later found by authorities at a North Adams Walmart parking lot.
Speaking with the outlet, family friend Jamie Lynn King reacted to the tragedy, sharing, “The entire family, Darius included, have been a pillar in this community for many decades. Everyone knows them. Everyone loved them.”
King continued, “Don’t just judge a book by the shortest words you’ve heard because there’s got to be a lot for it to have happened the way it did.” Another family friend, Nate Shoot, also shared, concerning Darius, “I just hope he gets the help he needs, and we get answers, because this is not like him at all.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.