Florida man accused of suffocating dying dad
A Florida man has been charged with the attempted murder of his terminally ill father in Brecksville, Ohio.
Steven Curtis, 58, was allegedly drunk when he tried to suffocate his 86-year-old cancer-stricken father, Roy, in his room at The Oaks of Brecksville nursing home.
According to cleveland.com, staff saw the younger Curtis with his hands on his father's nose and mouth.
The accused was also charged for assault and menacing and disorderly conduct for throwing a telephone at a staff member who tried to intervene.
Curtis then barricaded himself in the room.
The elder Curtis died a few hours after the incident, but a nursing home statement read: "In speaking with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, we were informed that the decedent experienced no signs of trauma leading to his passing."
Fox 8 reported that lawyers acting for Curtis said their client was only interested in minimising his father's suffering as he realised that he was dying.
Curtis was released on a US$50,000 ($62,345) bond.
Sources: cleveland.com, fox8.com
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